


It Happened in Osaka

by somethingfamiliar



Series: It Happened in Osaka & Continued in Seoul [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: All the sex toys, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Anal Beads, Anal Play, Anal Sex, And also a slut, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Attempted Murder, Attempted Sexual Assault, Blood and Gore, Bottom Boo Seungkwan, Bottom Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Bottom Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Bottom Xu Ming Hao | The8, Bottom Yoon Jeonghan, Break Up, Consensual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Time Bottoming, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hong Jisoo | Joshua & Yoon Jeonghan Are Best Friends, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, It's only in passing, Jisoo is an unexpected Versatile, Lee Chan and Kim Seokmin are Siblings, Light Angst, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Mentioned Kim Jongin | Kai, Murder, Non-Penetrative Sex Toys, Oral Sex, Overstimulation, Past Abuse, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Past Relationship(s), Past Sexual Abuse, Past Sexual Assault, Prostitution, Romance, Sex Toys, Sexual Abuse, Smut, There is only implications of all the bad things!!!, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Top Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Top Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Top Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Top Jeon Wonwoo, Top Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Top Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Unholy boy Jisoo, Versatile Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Yoon Jeonghan is Whipped, an actual train wreck, jisoo is all over the place, shut up everyone is gay, this has been in my head for 278329 years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 11:17:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 86,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17661557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingfamiliar/pseuds/somethingfamiliar
Summary: Jeonghan is a good student, diligent and an incredible worker. Joshua? Not so much. Seungkwan and Hansol are so perfectly in love that it often makes Jeonghan sick to his stomach to live with them, but he really wouldn't change them for the world. Seungcheol and Wonwoo own a Tattoo parlour downtown, the very place Mingyu avoids, unlike Chan who seems to roam out way past his bedtime and throw Seokmin into panic. And then there's Jihoon and Soonyoung- ah, yes- it's complicated to put it simply. Jun and Minghao are much happier to stay in the comfort of their own home, studying, kissing, experimenting and- most importantly- not getting tracked down by a seemingly Mafia-run-group. Jeonghan would like to have it easier than he does, but at least he's a good student, right?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So this is mainly a Jeoncheol fic, but I will chapter it so you can be here for the ship you want and not have to search through the text lmao. Anyway, here's wonderwall.

Jeonghan was going to fail. That much he was sure about. Jisoo sat beside him, shuffling in his seat and stealing a glance over at the guy he’d been checking out for almost a year now.

“Stop staring, I already have a bad reputation, we can’t _both_ have one.” Jeonghan whispered harshly, pretending to look perplexed with something written on the whiteboard when their tutor looked up towards them.

“Have you seen him, he’s so cute, what the hell.” Jisoo mused, propping his elbow on his desk and resting his chin in his hand dreamily.

“Jisoo! I said stop!” Jeonghan whisper-yelled, a few girls in front of them turning around, frowning at them both.

“It’s like he’s the only reason I come to this stupid class.” He added, throwing a disgusted face at Jeonghan for ruining his fun.

“That's because he _is_ the only reason you come to this class.” Jeonghan shook his head, scribbling something in his notebook that he knew he wouldn’t look at later, “Hey, what syllabus do you even think we’re on?” He added out of curiosity.

“Part three?” Jisoo guessed, knowing it was the last one he had tuned into. He switched his gaze back to the boy across their row, eyeing him again.

“Joshua! We’re on part eleven!” Jeonghan chided, shaking his head and dropping the thick textbook on his knuckles with a thump.

“Hey! Jeonghan, at least I’m here, my parents would be so proud.” Jisoo commented and Jeonghan rolled his eyes again.

“Your parents sent you to University to get you out the house, so no, I don’t think they would be that proud. You’re not even doing the bare minimum.” Jeonghan shook his head, scribbling down another set of notes and shaking his pen before switching it with Joshua’s. His was practically brand new anyway.

 

Trekking across campus to get to the cafeteria was Jeonghan’s least favourite wintertime activity. It was Jisoo’s favourite but that was because he got to see his dream man all wrapped up in a winter coat and scarf and maybe even offer to buy him a coffee. Jeonghan didn’t understand how he was still so stuck on him, even after this long.

“Is Minghao meeting us at the cafeteria?” Jeonghan questioned, shoving his hands deeper into his coat pockets and adjusting his satchel.

“Yep and Jun, I think.” He replied, still eyeing the boy from class who was now pulling a face mask on, coughing into his fist and rubbing his eyes. _Maybe he was getting sick?  
_

“Oh my God, just go ask him to go for coffee with you or something. This is getting pathetic, I’m losing my mind here.” Jeonghan spoke as they neared the cafeteria. Jisoo threw a look at him, pulling his beanie down over his ears a little more.

“Absolutely not, what would my parents say if I dated a boy.” Jisoo shot back, jaw slack as if Jeonghan had cursed at him out of the blue.

“Soo-ah, you seriously don’t have to tell your parents every little thing that goes on in your life. I can’t even imagine living like that. Just suck his dick and get over him or whatever.” Jeonghan smirked, pushing him in the boy's direction and throwing finger guns as he ran ahead to the cafeteria. Jisoo cursed, stumbling on his feet as he almost collided with the boy,

“H-hey- um- I share a business class with you, I’m Joshua.” He quickly got out, bowing and studying the boy’s face closer now.

“Oh, yeah, you’re the kid who doesn’t want to be there, right?” The boy responded and Joshua’s eyebrows were almost at his hairline.

“Well, to be fair, it really seems like no one wants to be there- but sure, I’m the one who doesn’t want to be there.” He concluded, laughing lightly as they paused at a coffee stand, “Hey I can get your drink- What was your name? You never mentioned it.” He added, pulling his wallet out and the boy was smirking, raising an eyebrow and shaking his head.

“Jihoon. I’m Jihoon and I’ll have a Caffe Mocha.” He responded, shoving his hands back into his pockets, “So, _Joshua_ , that’s not a name from around here.” Jihoon added as an afterthought and Joshua was giggling, handing the cashier his debit card.

“Yeah, well, Jisoo is my real name. But I’m American so my family tend to call me Joshua.” He explained, bowing once he was handed his card back.

“Hm, Jisoo, that’s better.” Jihoon commented and Joshua was laughing again, “You speak English then?” He asked, reaching for his coffee as they continued towards the cafeteria.

“Well I was raised with both, so yeah, I’m fluent.” Jisoo shrugged, pushing his hair out his face and watching as Jihoon pulled his mask down to sip at his coffee.

“Yeah, shame you don’t share that same passion for business class.” Jihoon sassed, smirking into his coffee as they entered the main cafeteria. Jisoo laughed,

“Did you want to sit with me and my friends for lunch?” Joshua asked once he’d sobered. Jihoon shrugged, following Jisoo as they arrived at Jeonghan’s table.

“Well, I haven’t really got anyone else to sit with, so, sure.” He replied, slipping into the seat beside Jisoo and untangling his scarf from his neck.

“Oh, I see we’ve brought a friend, Jisoo.” Minghao teased, sliding into the seat next to Jeonghan with a tray of food for himself, smacking at Jeonghan’s hand when he tried to swipe a lotus root slice from him.

“This is Jihoon from business class.” Jisoo explained, ignoring Minghao's comment, he turned to Jihoon, “This is Minghao, he does economics or something.” He tried, pathetically waving his hand in his direction.

“I do Political affairs and since when have you done business?” Minghao explained, only to turn on Jisoo with the question. Jisoo turned back to Jeonghan a moment, panic crossing his face for a moment,

“It is a business class, right?” He double-checked and Jihoon was snickering beside him, Jeonghan not even gracing him with a response as he got up to refill his water bottle.

“So, Political Affairs? You enjoy it?” Jihoon asked, trying not to sound too judgemental but Minghao was snorting into his rice.

“I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed anything less in my entire life. What about business?” He asked and Joshua was rolling his eyes because _when were they going to talk about something interesting?_

“I want to throw myself out of a window maybe three times a day, so not too bad really.” Jihoon snarked and Minghao was laughing, offering him kimbap from his tray, but he was shaking his head, standing up to get his own food.

“Can you believe this? Amazing, I’m so amazing.” Jisoo exclaimed the moment Jihoon was out of earshot. Jeonghan came back at that moment, Jun following behind him with his and Joshua’s tray of food, pecking Minghao’s forehead.

“Yeah, it only took you 345 days, Joshua, incredible work.” Jeonghan said sarcastically, taking a long sip of his water and making Jun laugh.

“You’re not eating today, Hannie?” Minghao commented, nodding towards Jeonghan’s water bottle, but he smiled softly.

“It’s okay, money is just a little tight at the moment, it’s only one meal.” He said with a smile as Jihoon rejoined them with his tray.

“You can’t afford it? Hey, I can pay, you can’t starve.” Jihoon said quickly, pushing him his tray and standing up again to go and get another.

“Wait, Jihoon, no it’s fine-” Jeonghan began but Jihoon was waving him off, paying for another ticket at the cash register and bringing it back to Jeonghan. Joshua was shooting him death glares across the table and was sure to hear about him ‘stealing his man’ later this evening.

 

Jeonghan had done this very walk more times than he could remember but something about it that night was different. Maybe it was just down to the broken street light that normally lit up the dark alley, but something seemed off. Hansol should be home by now and if he were really feeling generous he’d probably offer Jeonghan a lift but he most likely had Seungkwan in his lap and there was no one Hansol put before Seungkwan. Ever. Jeonghan ran a hand through his hair, gathering it at the nape of his neck before he tied it there, pulling his hood up to protect him from the cold. Winter always was harsh on him. Without a moment for Jeonghan to think anymore about it, he felt a hand on his waist, instinctively pulling away and tearing his earphones out.

“What the fuck are you-” he began, spinning to the boy next to him and being surprised it wasn’t some old, sleazy man, but in fact someone his age. Someone who he might even have liked if they hadn’t put their hand on his fucking waist.

“Shh, please just do me this favour. Just go along with it, _please_.” The boy begged and his eyes seemed so much younger than his face that Jeonghan momentarily wondered if he were, in fact, an orphan. He watched in wonder as the boy tore his jacket off, folding it inside out and continuing with Jeonghan in merely his sweater.

“What are you-” Jeonghan began again, cringing as the boy slid his hand into his, locking their fingers and taking his stack of books for him to carry.

“Cheol-ah? Fuck!” A voice came from behind him and Jeonghan was about to spin around, but the boy was gripping his hand tighter, a silent plea for him to play along with this. The voice faded a moment and another one came into earshot as Jeonghan began walking down the alleyway with the boy.

“Give it up, Yeol, he’s clearly gone.” The second voice said behind him and suddenly the sound of feet on pavement was nearing them and Jeonghan felt the boys hand tense up.

“Hey, you, have you seen a boy around here? Black hair, maybe your age?” The man behind him called and Jeonghan knew he had to answer now.

“Around here? No, not many people come here at this time. Have you tried the police station?” Jeonghan shot over his shoulder and tried to bid the man goodnight.

“What about your friend here, he seen anything?” The man asked again, waving a hand at the boy who still had his hand in Jeonghan’s. Jeonghan was a quick thinker,

“I find that really disrespectful actually,” Jeonghan feigned hurt, voice stuttering with emotion, “my boyfriend is blind.” He continued and the boy was pulling Jeonghan into a hug.

“It’s okay, Jaehyun, they didn’t know. Don’t let it get to you.” He replied, using Jeonghan’s hair to disguise his face and keep up the act. The man before them bowed low and muttered an apology before Jeonghan turned away from him petulantly, continuing his walk home with this boy’s hands still in his own.

“Hey, how long do we have to keep this up for.” Jeonghan hissed through his teeth, leaning his head on the boy’s shoulder affectionately in case the two men were still watching.

“Another minute, then you can go, I promise.” The boy whispered back, nodding and sliding his arm around Jeonghan’s waist to keep up the act.

“Give me your number before you go.” Jeonghan said decisively and he didn’t know what in his being made him spurt those words but somewhere within him he couldn’t let this be the last time he saw him.

“Why? We just met.” He replied, voice a little cold and sharper now. Jeonghan almost took it back.

“Because you owe me one for this.” He shot back, turning the arm around his waist so they could interlock their fingers, Jeonghan trapping his fingers in a death grip to make the boy realise how serious he was about all this.

“I don’t owe you anythi-” the boy shot back and Jeonghan stopped in his tracks, smirking and shaking his head, looking back up the street.

“I don’t know who you are or what you did to piss those people off, but I still have the upper hand here, jackass. I can still turn you in, bring those men back and expose you.” Jeonghan grit out, leaning forward to emphasise the weight in his words. The boy took a step back and Jeonghan scoffed, “That’s what I thought.” He said under his breath, letting the boy retract his hand again, realising that they no longer needed to keep up this charade. Instead he held his hand out to the boy, expecting him to pass him his phone to type his number in, but he was placing his stack of books in his open palm.

“It was nice to meet you, ‘Jaehyun’.” The boy smirked, beginning to walk away but Jeonghan was fast. His foster parents hadn’t sent him to all those taekwondo lessons for nothing. He swung his leg out, spinning with enough force to kick one of the boy’s feet out from beneath him, knocking him off balance as Jeonghan forced him the rest of the way to the ground.

“I’m sorry, did I say you could go yet, ‘Cheol-ah’?”  Jeonghan quipped, bending down to tower over the boy’s sprawled form on the tarmac.

“What the fuck was that for?” He asked and Jeonghan was smirking, gripping his jacket collar to pull the boy closer as he rubbed his elbow.

“We ask stupid questions as well? How fun.” He responded quickly and the boy was staring up at him with an agitated look on his face.

“Fine, fine, I’ll pay you back or whatever.” The boy responded, shuffling around to find his phone in his jacket pocket, a photograph falling out onto the floor. Jeonghan reached to pick it up, the boy oblivious as he opened a new contact for Jeonghan to add his details.

“Your girlfriend?” He commented, studying the picture in his hands. It was maybe 4 centimetres squared and was a glossy print, maybe from a photo booth, and scratched around the edges. The picture had a photo of a girl and the boy in front of him, both very young, but the fact it was him was true, down to the curve of his nose and the brightness of his eyes. He looked up from his phone, frowning and suddenly noticing the photo Jeonghan held in his hands, still crouched over him.

“My sister.” He hushed out, snatching the picture back and tucking it into his wallet before handing Jeonghan his phone, but Jeonghan wasn’t done interrogating just yet.

“A holiday photo? This is Japan.” Jeonghan tried again, catching the words on a signpost beside their two smiling faces before the photo was completely out of sight. The boy scoffed, waiting for Jeonghan to type his number in.

“No, my hometown.” He said shortly and Jeonghan couldn’t help the interest that sparked in his mind. This boy was clearly Korean, down to his very core, yet he was calling a Japanese city his hometown. It was infuriating, he wanted to know more, but he knew that if the roles were reversed Jeonghan would have hit him and told him to mind his own business by now.

“Oh, you sound like a native.” Jeonghan commented, tapping his name into the contact now and opening a new message to text himself.

“I am.” He said shortly and Jeonghan knew he needed to stop pressing. He handed the phone back to him, extending his hand to help him up off the tarmac and carry on his way.

“It’s Jeonghan, by the way.” And the boys eyes sparked for a moment, throwing Jeonghan off as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

“Jeonghan, I was close with Jaehyun.” He commented, making Jeonghan smile and shake his head.

“I didn’t get your full name, Cheol-ah.” He replied, picking his stack of books up from the floor and pulling his bag up higher on his shoulder.

“I’m Seungcheol.” He paused, smiling as the light caught on his face from a streetlamp, “For now.” He added, pulling his coat back on and walking away without another word.

 

Seungkwan was making dinner, if you could even call it that, when Jeonghan let himself in. He found Hansol sitting on the kitchen countertop, chewing on a slice of melon and waving a fork in Seungkwan’s direction as he tested him with flashcards.

“... the definition of Omission…?” Hansol asked, flipping the card as Jeonghan slid his shoes off, sliding into the kitchen.

“The thing where the person does nothing or something.” Seungkwan commented absentmindedly, stirring a powder sachet into the pan of noodles.

“Incorrect, it’s where a person is held criminally liable for failing to act on something. Like leaving out a piece of information or avoiding paying taxes.” Jeonghan cut in, pulling the piece of melon with his teeth from the fork Hansol was holding.

“Hyung!” Hansol smiled, throwing his arms around Jeonghan’s neck and letting him ruffle his hair, “You’re back late this evening.” Jeonghan smirked, pushing Seungkwan aside to fix the mess he was making of their dinner.

“Yeah, I got caught up with a stranger.” Jeonghan replied ambiguously. Seungkwan raised an eyebrow, leaning back on the counter between Hansol’s legs and letting him rest his chin on his head.

“Oh, how vague, do tell us more!” Seungkwan teased, looking at Jeonghan with a suggestive grin. Hansol snorted, feeding Seungkwan a piece of melon.

“It would’ve been nicer if he had’ve pulled me into an alleyway and given me a blowjob, but we don’t all get what we want.” Jeonghan said, playing along with their jest and making them both laugh.

“Well, yes, that’s anyone’s dream.” Hansol replied and Seungkwan whipped around in his grip yelling at him,

“So what _did_ he do if you didn’t get a good time?” He added once Seungkwan had calmed down. Jeonghan scoffed, cooling some noodles until he could eat them from the pan.

“He used me as his alibi and I gave him my number.” He shrugged and Seungkwan and Hansol were on him like this were the first time Jeonghan had ever hit on someone. They weren’t too far from the truth.

“What? You’re going to have to start from the beginning, I feel like we’ve missed some key points in this story, like ‘omission’. Hyung, don’t omission us!” Seungkwan was yelling, backing him into a corner whilst Hansol lost his breath from laughter behind him.

“No, that’s- you’re using that word wrong!” Jeonghan tried to explain, but Hansol was collapsing on the floor, snorting into his hands at Seungkwan’s outburst.

“B-babe, I think you might fail the exam tomorrow. I’m real-really sorry to tell you, but you might.” Hansol managed to get out between laughter and Seungkwan was shooting him a look over his shoulder, grabbing a spatula to hit Hansol around the head with.

“Not now, I need to know everything, Hyung. So you better start spilling.” He quipped, resting a hand on his hip and pointing the spatula at Jeonghan now, a little more threateningly than he would’ve liked.

“It was nothing, really. He just held my hand, pretended to be my boyfriend and some guys came along looking for him so I said we hadn’t seen anything and that my ‘boyfriend’ definitely hadn’t because he was blind.” Jeonghan said again and the more he spoke, the more he wondered if he’d made this all up in the first place. It did all sound pretty unrealistic, maybe he’d been drugged.

“I’m sorry, what?” Hansol asked, face falling neutral now, confusion twisting between his eyebrows.

“Omission, Hansol, I told you.” Seungkwan turned around, nodding knowingly and Hansol was shaking his head, pursing his lips as he tried not to laugh again.

 

Jeonghan wouldn’t message Seungcheol. He’d message him when he really needed it, yet he found himself drafting a text and deleting it more than 4 times now. He knew he shouldn’t have, but on his way to class, the following morning, he finally tapped send,  
_Did you get home safe last night?_ And he immediately regretted every moment that brought him up to this point in his life. He groaned, throwing his phone into his bag and running a hand through his hair as he thought it over. _Who sends a message like that to a stranger? What were you thinking?_ Joshua caught him in the hallway before his last class, unusually happy considering the weather conditions. Joshua _hated_ the cold.

“I got his number. Jihoon, I got his number.” Joshua said excitedly, bouncing from foot to foot as he helped Jeonghan with his books. If this was how Joshua would be when he was in this mood then Jeonghan was going to have to keep Jihoon around.

“Hm, about time.” He mumbled bowing as he knocked into a student  in the corridor. The lasting look didn’t go unnoticed by either Joshua or Jeonghan, he had that sort of effect on people.

“He was cute, why didn’t you hit on him?” Joshua asked in exasperation, shaking his head in disbelief when he saw the other boy wink back over his shoulder at Jeonghan who was gazing at him with a hint of mischief in his eyes.

“I really don’t think you can be the one to say that to me, Jisoo, absolutely no way.” He replied, flicking his head back as the light caught his long blonde hair. Yes, it was blonde at the moment and Jisoo was getting bored of all the admiring looks Jeonghan was receiving.

“Don’t be dramatic. Anyway, when’s our next business class?” He asked following Jeonghan through the throngs of students leaving their classes.

“You don’t have our timetable? It’s been the same for 7 months now.” He said with a frown and Joshua was rolling his eyes, laying the books back in Jeonghan’s arms.

“Do I look like I own a timetable? Come on, Jeonghan, you should lighten up a bit. All you do is study and work.” He added, eyeing a girl with a skirt that was maybe a little too short to have even been classed as a skirt.

“Stop staring, and we weren’t even talking about me! How did we get on to this subject? We’re talking about you and how you don’t own a timetable.” Jeonghan shot back, veering off down a corridor that led them to the library.

“Hey, where are you going, I thought you had class.” Joshua said, scrambling after him and gripping his jacket like a toddler.

“I do, I just have to exchange some books before I-” He started but Joshua was cutting in.

“See! This is what I’m talking about. You need to go out and get drunk or something. Your life is turning into an endless cycle of working, studying and sleeping. How can you live like this?” He paused, something suddenly crossing his mind as he stopped Jeonghan in the Biography aisle, “When was the last time someone fucked you?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest and watching as Jeonghan tried to shush him in a failed attempt of no one hearing.

“Jisoo, shh, this is none of your business.” He sighed, dropping his head back in annoyance.

“So, three months?” Joshua cocked his head, Jeonghan’s eyes flicking to the filing cabinets over Joshua’s shoulder, “Six?” He paused again, watching in horror as Jeonghan’s eyes shifted again, dropping to the floor, “Eight months?” Still nothing.

“Joshua, this is not a conversation I want to be having in a library, or anywhere for that-” He began, Joshua suddenly looking at him in complete and utter despair.

“ _A year_?” He exclaimed, eyes wide and sorrowful and Jeonghan was sighing because, yes, maybe it had been that long, “A year, are you joking?” He asked again, rolling his eyes as a librarian began shushing him. Jisoo was lucky that Jeonghan liked him as much as he did,

“Okay, yes, a year. Maybe longer, but it doesn’t matter, I’m happy-” Jeonghan tried to clear up, but Joshua was groaning, dropping his face into his hands.

“Jeonghan, there is no way you can be happy like this. _Jesus_ , okay we’re going to fix this. Do you even remember how to have sex? Here, look we’re in the biology section, do you remember the anatomy?” Joshua asked, face twisted in disgust as he stared at Jeonghan in a mix of pity and despair.

“Jisoo, oh my God, shut up!” He groaned, continuing down the aisle of books to find the right reference number.

“Wait, hang on, a year ago?” Jisoo added and Jeonghan really was going to hit him in a minute, “That means- you haven’t had sex since Jongin?” Joshua screeched in exasperation and Jeonghan was clamping a hand over his mouth to shut him up.

“Oh my God, be quiet! He still goes to this institution, Jisoo, someone could have heard.” Jeonghan said, finally removing his hand and grabbing two books from the shelf, stacking them in Joshua’s arms

“What, like the entire sports department might so happen to be in the business section of the library?” Joshua shook his head, “Yeah, I don’t think so, Hannie.” Jeonghan threw him a look, stacking another book on the pile in Joshua’s arms.

“You don’t know that, Jisoo. He had a lot of friends in other classes.” Jeonghan commented, dragging him along to the checkout desk, returning the stack in his arms and taking out the ones in Joshua’s.

“I still can’t believe it’s been that long. Hey I’ll fuck you if you want, a no-strings-attached sort of thing.” Jisoo offered, dropping the returned books into the box as Jeonghan scanned them back through the system.

“No, absolutely not, I hate that you even suggested that.” Jeonghan said with disgust, pushing a thick textbook into his chest with force, watching as he stumbled backwards.

“Hey! I’m a good top, what are you saying? You should be lucky I even offered, I’m hurt that your reaction was so immediate.” Jisoo whined, throwing the textbook into the box carelessly, cringing when the sound resonated around the quiet room.

“I wasn’t criticising your ability, I was criticising your offer because you’re my _best friend._ ” He explained with a smirk, handing the new stack of books to Joshua and telling him not to put them in the box.

“I thought _I_ was your best friend.” A voice came from behind them and Jeonghan whipped around at the familiarity of it.

“Mingyu! When did you get back?” Jeonghan squealed, a librarian shushing them again as Jeonghan threw himself into Mingyu’s arms.

“Today, actually. How have you been?” He asked, pulling back to run his gaze over Jeonghan, watching as he did the same.

“I’ve been alright, you look amazing. How was your trip?” Jeonghan began and Jisoo rolled his eyes at the comment. Of course he looked amazing, Mingyu _always_ looked amazing.

“It was great thanks, my parents decided to visit Paris on the way back from London. It’s so beautiful, Jeonghan, I’ll have to take you some time.” Mingyu gushed, adjusting his long coat so his sleeves sat in line.

“That’d be nice. What about Ava, how is she?” Jeonghan asked, pulling his satchel further up his shoulder.

“She’s really well, only a few more months until we get our apartment. She’s so excited, it’s hilarious.” Mingyu smiled, Jeonghan giggling. He could imagine how excited she’d be, American girls got excited about everything. Jeonghan had been happy when Mingyu had started dating her, relieved that he hadn’t picked poorly like his last failed relationships. Ava wasn’t a gold digger, far from it in fact, she had her own business in jewellery and they’d met overseas when his parents had hoped to buy into an American company. It was clear that Ava loved him and Mingyu loved her equally. Jeonghan missed the days that they’d get drunk on their living room floor, passing out around the table on a Tuesday night. Those days were so much easier.

“I’m so happy to hear that, hopefully we can all get dinner together sometime.” Jeonghan smiled, looking up at Mingyu who seemed a little lost in the sight of Jeonghan’s majestic hair.

“That’d be great,” He paused, leaning forward to brush Jeonghan’s hair out of his face, “I’m glad you kept it long, it always suited you like this.” He said softly and Jeonghan was close to blushing, so close. Jisoo watched the exchange.

“Thanks, Mingyu.” Jeonghan replied, dropping is head a moment then meeting his eyes again, “I better get going, I have another class this afternoon.” He tried explaining and Mingyu pulled his hand back, quickly pushing it into his coat pocket.

“Of course, well, message me about dinner and we’ll arrange an evening.” Mingyu said with finality, smiling again, “Have a good day, Jeonghan.”

 

Joshua knew something was up. Jeonghan never acted like this, but right now he was suggesting skipping his final class and getting coffee with Joshua.

“But why? You never miss out on class, so why now?” Jisoo interrogated, knowing it was something to do with Mingyu. It _always_ had something to do with Mingyu.

“I just don’t feel like going.” Jeonghan said, pushing through the main building doors and making his way to the gates to leave the grounds.

“This is about Mingyu, right?” Jisoo finally questioned, guiding them towards the coffee shop down the street. Jeonghan suddenly freezing up, he was going to have to miss out on dinner tonight if he were getting coffee now.

“You already know it’s about him. Did you see? He shouldn’t be like that, right?” Jeonghan tried to explain, but whenever he got ahold of the words they seemed to fail him.

“He’s not over you, is he.” Joshua said firmly, pushing the cafe door open and walking up to the register.

“I don’t think so.” Jeonghan tried, fumbling with his hands as he reached for his wallet, but Joshua was already paying for two Americanos and Jeonghan was frowning, “I can pay, really.”

“I don’t want you to pay though. It was your idea to skip class and that’s all I’ve been begging of you for weeks now, so take it as a thank you.” Jisoo explained, walking towards the end of the counter and waiting for the barista to hand them their tray, “You never really told me what happened between you both.” He added, guiding the conversation back to Mingyu. Jeonghan sighed,

“It was around the time I was dating Jongin and Mingyu started to get really possessive of me. He’d tell me I should end things with Jongin because he might screw me over, but at the same time he was dating Ava, so I knew he didn’t want me to break up with Jongin for his sake. It’s complicated.” Jeonghan groaned and Joshua was still not understanding it all too clearly. He reached for their tray, jerking his head for Jeonghan to follow him to a window seat.

“But you’re friends with Ava, right?” Joshua asked, sitting across from him as he slid him the warm mug.

“Yeah, that’s the thing. Before he met her he’d told me he liked girls and boys. One evening, after maybe a few too many, we made out and I ended up giving him a drunken hand job in his dorm. The next day he’d told me not to tell anyone, but it kept happening. He’d take me out for drinks, we’d kiss, then go home together, never anything more than blowjobs and hickies, but it was only when he was drunk. One day I confronted him about it and he had said that he might have feelings for me and that I should wait for him, but the very next week he started dating Ava. I was happy for him, though, because Ava was sweet and beautiful and everything that I couldn’t be. They’re perfect together, but sometimes he still- I don’t know- let’s his heart control his head.” Jeonghan finished with an exasperated whine, kicking his legs out like a toddler as he slid down in his seat.

“Okay, what the fuck.” Joshua said shortly, “So, did he still try and make a move on you even when you started dating Jongin?” Joshua asked, taking a long sip of his coffee.

“Yes, that’s the reason why Jongin and I ended things. He told me I should sort things out with Mingyu before we continued with our relationship, but the opportunity never arose and Jongin gave up on me.” Jeonghan explained, frowning into his mug, “There were so many drunken times that he tried to kiss me whilst we were both dating other people and I’d gotten sick of it so I told him we couldn’t keep doing this. I wanted him to pick Ava, I didn’t want him to have feelings for me, but when it came down to it, he said he’d always pick me.” Jeonghan said again, reliving that moment and groaning. He’d thought the situation over so many times and everytime it seemed a little harder to know how to respond to it all. Joshua sucked a breath through his teeth.

“Wow, I didn’t know it was that deep, I thought you just had a crush on him and he’d indulge it sometimes.” Joshua responded, picked up a sugar cube to chew on, watching Jeonghan’s disgusted reaction.

“Yeah, well, I don’t know what to say now. I was the one to offer dinner!” Jeonghan replied shortly. Mingyu’s family may be minted, but Jeonghan wasn’t a gold digger, he didn’t like the idea of it at all and it wasn’t him.

“And what about Ava? Does she know know he likes boys as well?” Joshua asked, but Jeonghan was shaking his head, swallowing down his coffee before he spoke.

“I told him it’d be a good idea to tell her, but he always dismissed it.” He responded, Joshua nodding his understanding.

“So what are you going to do?” Joshua asked, swirling his spoon around the sides of his cup and tapping it on the rim,

“Just not tell him when I’m free for dinner, I guess.” Jeonghan shrugged, sipping at his coffee again and relaxing into his seat, “I should get home before it gets dark.” He added, not making any move to leave yet, but hoping he’d avoid any strangers in the alleyway.

 

Jeonghan scrambled for his phone in the bottom of his bag, frowning as it read that he had six messages and three missed calls. No one ever messaged him. He opened the notification, momentarily panicking as he saw Seungcheol’s name on the screen. Every message and call was from him.

  _Are you worried about me? How sweet._

  _Jeonghan, can you swing by the convenience store near the alleyway tonight at 7?_

  _Fuck, wait, make it 4._

  _Also, I got you a new jacket. Yours was torn._

  _And don’t worry, that doesn’t count as your ‘favour’ that was just me being nice._

  _A shocker, I know_.

Jeonghan scrolled through the messages, trying to suppress a giggle and checking the time. He needed to be at the studio at 5, it was 3:45 now and he was close to the convenience store Seungcheol had mentioned. He quickly typed a response.

_I’ll meet you at the convenience store in a bit._

 

Pushing the door open, he made his way to the instant Ramen rack, picking one and paying at the cash register to eat his dinner early, filling it with hot water.

“You’re early,” Jeonghan looked up, Seungcheol walking into the convenience store and sliding into the seat beside him.

“Hm, so are you.” Jeonghan hummed, mixing the noodles with his chopsticks and raising an eyebrow as Seungcheol slid a large paper bag across the table.

“There’s your jacket.” Seungcheol said, looking away for a moment to regain his composure. Jeonghan smirked,

“Hyung, you’re so cool, wow!” He exclaimed dramatically, pausing a moment and pushing the bag back towards him as he scoffed, “But I have clothes and I don’t need you to buy me new ones.” Seungcheol turned to look at him with a frown, eyeing the tear in his jacket, the same one he’d worn the previous day.

“Just open the bag, Jeonghan.” He replied, disinterest lacing his voice as he rested his chin on his hand, leaning on the table and sliding the noodles from Jeonghan to shovel some into his mouth. Jeonghan reached for the bag, pulling the jacket out and eyeing it with confusion. It was- gorgeous and expensive looking and _stolen_.

“Seungcheol! This- the- where did you get this from?” Jeonghan gasped, gritting the words out between his teeth as he struggled to keep his voice quiet.

“The shop down the street. My friend works there.” He said bluntly, slurping more noodles into his mouth and shrugging him off.

“Y-you stole this?” Jeonghan growled quietly, leaning in towards Seungcheol. For a moment Seungcheol looked a little hurt, but Jeonghan was lifting the security tag up between their bodies.

“Wow, so just because I don’t clean up too well it doesn’t mean I’m broke. My friend gave me a discount, but I _paid_ for this, Jeonghan. She must have forgotten to take the tag off.” Seungcheol grumbled into the pot of instant noodles. Jeonghan didn’t know what to say. He’d made a huge misjudgement, one that he’d been on the receiving end of more times than he could count, except those times people were usually right about him. He turned the coat over in his hands, inspecting it. It was gorgeous, a black silky fabric styled like the bomber jacket he already owned, but with a beautifully embroidered dragon on the back and thicker than the coat he already wore.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- It was unfair of me to judge you like that and I’m sorry.” Jeonghan finally found the words he was looking for and Seungcheol smirked, looking up at him with bright eyes, something Jeonghan hadn’t noticed in the dark of the previous night.

“It’s fine. I get it all the time.” He said shortly, sliding the pot noodles back to Jeonghan as he placed the jacket back in the bag.

“I can’t accept this though, Cheol. I can’t be in debt to you.” Jeonghan replied, sliding it back to him and flicking his hair over his shoulder.

“Well, I want you to have it.” Seungcheol spoke, getting up to get his own pot of instant Ramen, paying at the counter and joining Jeonghan again, “Besides, my friend said that if I was buying it for someone else then she’d up the discount. So I can’t exactly keep it now.” He added with a smirk, mixing the water with his chopsticks.

“And, just for the record,” Jeonghan paused a moment, leaning in a little closer, “You clean up pretty well, if I’m honest.” He smirked, leaning back, to take a long sip from his Ramen.

“Ah, well, I am your blind boyfriend, so you would say that, baby.” Seungcheol shot back and somewhere in the back of Jeonghan’s mind he imagined what that pet-name would sound like coming from Seungcheol as he fucked him into the closest surface. He coughed on his noodles and Seungcheol was laughing at his reaction, patting him on the back until he recovered, “Hm, wasn't expecting me to keep up the act?” He sassed, shuffling his seat closer to Jeonghan’s,

“No, I just wasn’t expecting pet-names this early on in our ‘relationship’.” Jeonghan shot back, putting the word ‘relationship’ in air-quotes. Seungcheol snorted, sliding his hand onto Jeonghan’s knee, but for what it was worth, Jeonghan was sort of enjoying this.

“Ah, you underestimate me. Our first date has so far consisted of me buying you things, pet-names, skinship and choking.” Seungcheol smirked and Jeonghan was snorting this time, shaking his head with a smug smile.

“Oh, how exciting will our second date be, then?” Jeonghan mused, moving his knee the slightest bit so Seungcheol’s hand would slip a little higher up his thigh.

“That’s all down to you, darling.” Seungcheol teased and Jeonghan hated that his heart fluttered. Jisoo must have been right, he did need to be fucked or else he’d start catching feelings for strangers.

 

On getting the security tag removed, Jeonghan had the chance to look around where Seungcheol had bought from and also meet his friend. He wasn’t expecting to see such a softer side to him when he appeared back in her store.

“Cheol-ah! Was it the wrong fit?” She called from the register, leaning forward to catch his attention as he stood with Jeonghan, letting him marvel at the pretty variety of clothes.

“Jimin-ssi! I think the fit should be fine, it’s just the security tag.” He called back, a smile cracking across his face, melting Jeonghan’s very being. He’d never noticed Seungcheol’s smile before, just smirks and resting bitch faces was all Jeonghan seemed to be on the receiving end of.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry! Here, let me take it off.” She called, running forward, her lanyard clicking against her belt as she smiled up at Seungcheol. Jeonghan noticed how similar they looked and, without realising, Seungcheol was guiding him by the waist to introduce them both.

“This is Jeonghan, we met yesterday.” Seungcheol explained, the sentence sounding funny in his mouth and Jeonghan smirked, bowing to Jimin.

“Ah, Jeonghan, you are a lucky man. Seungcheol never buys clothes for someone, even if they’re dating, you must have some sort of secret.” Jimin smiled, bowing in response and helping Jeonghan slide off his old jacket, holding the new one out for him.

“Really? Wow, Seungcheol you really must love me.” Jeonghan joked, pulling the jacket on and pulling the cuffs down as he looked at himself in the mirror. It really was gorgeous.

“It looks perfect on you!” She paused, running her arms over the fabric on his biceps, “I’m glad I designed it to look a little bigger than necessary, what do you think Hannie?” Jimin leant back on the counter, cocking her head as she eyed it a little longer.

“Y-you designed this?” Jeonghan exclaimed, eyes widening and making Seungcheol giggle. Jimin nodded, biting her lip,

“All my work, I’m afraid.” She smiled and Seungcheol moved to lean beside her, “I might even have to use you for the photos when it comes down to it. You’ve got the perfect vibe for it.” Jeonghan blushed, shaking his head and letting his hair fall in his face.

“She just graduated from Seoul School of Fine Arts and Design, so you’re one of her first customers.” Seungcheol commented, nudging her with his elbow and making her hide her face in embarrassment.

“Yes, well we couldn’t all just live like you, Cheol.” She teased, the sharp look from Seungcheol not going unnoticed by Jeonghan. He turned in the mirror again, twisting his neck to see the embroidery in his reflection.

“And you designed the pattern?” Jeonghan asked, kicking his hip out a little to try and see how far it hung down his back. Seungcheol’s eyes lingered a moment too long on his ass and Jeonghan was spinning back around to smirk at him.

“And embroidered it. There’s only a few of these ones as they’re all hand done. The one you’re wearing is one of my first ones after the final prototype was complete.” She spoke up again and Seungcheol shook his head now, smiling at her.

“Sorry that not all of us can have our own businesses, Ms. Kim.” Seungcheol teased, scoffing as she pushed him.

“Well, it took a lot of work and I couldn’t spend another moment with you at that university.” She rolled her eyes with a giggle, sighing when her phone began to ring, “Sorry, guys, it looks like we have a business call. It was great to meet you, Jeonghan, I’ll have Cheol forward you my number so we can try and get some photos if you’re interested? Pop in anytime!” She said over her shoulder, rushing back to the register to answer the call. Seungcheol smiled after her, waving as they began walking towards the exit.

“So, you studied Fine Arts and Design? I didn’t pin you as the creative type.” Jeonghan spoke as they left, walking down the high street side-by-side. Seungcheol shrugged, taking Jeonghan’s books from him,

“Yeah, I work at a tattoo parlour just outside of town. It’s not that busy, but I like working there.” He said, voice dropping a touch quieter and Jeonghan could see he was shy about it. It wasn’t exactly a high paying job or a profession your parents guided you towards.

“That’s awesome, do you have any?” Jeonghan asked, curious about whether Seungcheol had painted his skin in design. It was something Jeonghan had eventually wanted.

“A sleeve on this arm and a few others.” Seungcheol said vaguely and Jeonghan was far too curious not to push it. He rose an eyebrow,

“Where might those ‘few others’ be?” Jeonghan pressed, tongue darting out to lick his lips, watching as Seungcheol’s eyes followed the movement.

“Maybe I’ll show you one day.” He responded with a smirk of his own, “So, you’re a vocal coach?” Seungcheol asked, guiding the conversation back to safer grounds as he thought back to their conversation over their noodles at the convenience store.

“Yeah, it’s fun, I guess.” Jeonghan shrugged, feeling a little safer walking with Seungcheol to his workplace. It wasn’t an unsafe part of town, in particular, but it had always been avoided since there were rumours of stabbing and rape attacks a few years back. Jeonghan had once caught a girl being pulled into a dark alley, kicking and screaming and had ended up bruised and a little beaten for fighting a man off of her.

“You know this part of town, though, right? You know its reputation?” Seungcheol said quietly, the winter sunset dripping away quickly and leaving the streets in a dreery darkness.

“Yeah, it’s okay though, nothing’s ever happened to me.” Jeonghan replied, noticing how Seungcheol had instinctively put an arm around his waist after a sleazy drunk had eyed Jeonghan from afar. It wasn’t something that hadn’t happened before, in fact he was used to it and could definitely defend himself, but Seungcheol obviously didn’t like the look the man was giving Jeonghan, “Honestly, Cheol, it’s okay. It’s nothing that I can’t deal with.” He explained, but this only made Seungcheol pull him in closer, hand possessively curling on his waist.

“I know, I know you can look after yourself, I’m just a little uneasy knowing you make this walk three times a week on your own.” Seungcheol tried to explain and Jeonghan was smiling softly, meeting his eyes as they began to reach the building, stairs in view.

“I’ve dealt with worse, Cheol-ah, I’m fine. Really.” He responded, trying to put his mind at rest, but Seungcheol was staring at him with wide eyes.

“W-worse?” He asked, voice shaking, closer to anger than fear.

“It doesn’t matter, I said too much.” Jeonghan paused at the bottom of the stairs, Seungcheol not letting go of his waist.

“No, it wasn’t my place to push it.” He paused a moment, eyebrows furrowing as he bit his lip, “I know it’s a long shot, but do you have classes tomorrow? I want to take you out for drinks, but also don’t want you to walk home alone this evening.” Seungcheol’s hand stilled on Jeonghan’s waist as he moved to face him, their bodies closer than Jeonghan had realised until now. He smiled softly,

“I finish at 9.” Jeonghan said, biting his lip and pulling away from him as he ran up the stairs, “Thank you for the jacket, Cheol-ah.” He called back, waving before swiping his access pass on the card reader and opening the doors. Seungcheol watched him go, smiling after him softly and pulling his phone out as it buzzed with a message. He opened it, heart stopping for a moment too long,

_We’ve got ahold of you both. Enjoy the little time that you and Jeonghan have left. It won’t be long now._

 

Waving to his final student, he began packing up his things, bowing to the girl’s mother as she arrived to take her home.

“Thank you, Mister Yoon.” The little girl called, smiling up at him as he smiled brightly.

“Have a good week, Chaeyoung!” He responded, ruffling her hair and beginning to pack up his belongings, clicking his phone on to see a message from Seungcheol.

  _Can we postpone drinks? I’m really sorry, something came up and I can’t seen to get out of it. I booked a taxi for you, it’s pre-paid for, text me when you’re home._

 Jeonghan felt his heart sink a little, brushing it off as he wouldn’t have to walk home in the rain that had broken out an hour ago. He quickly typed a message out in response to Seungcheol,

_You didn’t have to do that, thank you. Send me your bank details and I’ll repay the money. I hope you’re okay._

Jeonghan knew the taxi fares would be expensive and he hated having to think of the meals he’d have to miss to be able to pay Cheol back. Maybe he could borrow from Seungkwan until his pay came through at the end of the month. He signed out, wishing the receptionist a good evening as he left the building. The taxi was right outside the door and Jeonghan had never been more grateful for something. His hair could _not_ suffer.

“Taxi for Jeonghan sent by Mister Choi Seungcheol?” The driver called over the rain, opening the door to let Jeonghan in, flashing his ID pass to prove his identity. He rushed out the address, leaning back to put his headphones in, smiling bashfully at Seungcheol’s kind gesture.

 

“So he booked you a taxi?” Seungkwan asked in exasperation, Hansol raising an eyebrow, “And bought you a jacket?” Jeonghan shrugged, nodding as he scribbled down a list of notes from one of his library books.

“This is a little strange, but I’m not complaining. It’s a cute jacket.” Hansol said, picking it up off the back of his chair and studying it carefully. Seungkwan sat down at the table, opposite Jeonghan, throwing his head back.

“He booked you a taxi and bought you a jacket?” He mused again, “Hansol tells me to shut up when I’m not even talking.” He groaned out and Hansol was rolling his eyes, standing behind him to hug him.

“Well, your existence is sort of loud, Seungkwan.” Jeonghan commented, eyes still on his textbook as he blindly dodged a pencil that Seungkwan threw in his direction.

“But don’t you think it’s a little weird? You met because he needed an alibi and now he’s- what- your friend? Your sugar daddy?” Hansol asked and Jeonghan was finally looking up now.

“He is _not_ my sugar daddy.” He responded, crossing his arms over his chest, an unimpressed look on his face.

“Well, what is he? You met, maybe, 24 hours ago and he’s now walking you to work? Aren’t you- I don’t know- worried?” Seungkwan added on from Hansol’s comment after thinking it through for a moment.

“I don’t know, should I be worried?” Jeonghan asked, eyes wide as he put his pen down to give them both his full attention. Hansol moved Seungkwan from the seat, repositioning him on his lap.

“I don’t think you should be worried as such, just be careful, you know?” Seungkwan said carefully.

“Yeah, maybe just sleep with him first. That always gives you a chance to work someone out.” Hansol added and Seungkwan was nodding along in unfazed agreement.

“Are you serious? Oh my God, you sound like Jisoo.” Jeonghan groaned, dropping his face into his textbook and throwing his arms out across the table.

“It’s true, you learn loads about someone whilst having them go down on you.” Seungkwan added, avoiding Hansol’s purposefully suggestive gaze and reaching across the table to pat Jeonghan’s head.

“What, like how good they are at giving head?” Jeonghan deadpanned, getting up to pour himself a glass of water.

“Well, yes obviously, but that shows how many people they’ve been with straight away. If they’re good then maybe they’re a player or just a whole pornstar- Hey, that’s a good point actually. What if he had to skip out on drinks because of a shoot?” Seungkwan was gushing and Hansol had started groaning in exasperation. Jeonghan shook his head,

“That can’t be it, he’s a tattoo artist, but it doesn’t explain how he’s maybe a little rich.” Jeonghan shrugged as if to say ‘ _Hm, maybe you’re right, Seungkwan, maybe he is a pornstar_ ’. They’d known each other too long to not be able to read into what a simple shrug meant.

“Or maybe it was a family emergency, or a work problem, or literally anything but being a pornstar.” Hansol suggested in confusion. Seungkwan turned to him in his lap,

“Boring and unrealistic. Give us something to work with, Hansol, come on.” He rolled his eyes, swivelling back to Jeonghan and making him giggle.

“I’ll just have to see if he calls or not.” Jeonghan said with a shrug, “Oh, and if you recognise him in any pornos, he has jet black hair and these dark eyes and a tattoo sleeve and maybe some others but he wouldn’t say where.” Jeonghan whispered dramatically, making Hansol snort with laughter.

“We better start our research, Hansol.” Seungkwan said, throwing him a look over his shoulder and shifting in his lap.

“No, no this is all you. You’re doing this, not me. I don’t want to be a part of this.” He said in disgust and Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, knowing full-well that he was lying. They both stared at him a moment before he sighed, “Fine, fine, I’ll watch porn with you. Whatever, Seungkwan.” He grumbled, moving him off his lap to stand up. Jeonghan laughed, shaking his head as he continued with his studies.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> J-Jeonghcheol first time? *cough* SMUT *cough*

It was a whole week before Jeonghan heard anything from Seungcheol and, if he was honest, he was getting restless. Since Jisoo had made him aware of how long it’d been since he’d had sex with anyone, he was starting to get frustrated.

“Why? Why is she getting some and I’m not? She’s not even that pretty, what does he see in her?” He groaned one lunchtime as they sat in the cafeteria, eyeing a couple in the queue. The boy had been texting him pretty often, they’d flirted back and forth for a while and even if Jeonghan didn’t want anything serious with him, he still wanted to have fun. Jihoon was sat with them again, smirking at Jisoo who was repeatedly hitting his head on the table.

“He’s been like this all week.” Jisoo whined, making Jihoon smirk into his Bibimbap.

“What? I thought you were, like, the normal one out of the two of you.” Jihoon commented, pointing his spoon between Jeonghan and Jisoo.

“I am! Don’t even begin to think that I’m not, it’s just- oh my God, fuck, Jisoo.” Jeonghan suddenly interrupted himself, hiding his face in his sleeve, “Fucking Mingyu is coming over with Ava and I haven’t messaged him about that fucking dinner.” He grit out, Jihoon frowning and looking in the direction that Jeonghan was throwing hesitant glances.

“Oh my God, just act normal, say your phone’s broken or you lost it or something.”  Jisoo hissed out, immediately switching to the fakest smile Jihoon had ever seen in half a second flat.

“Hey, Hannie. How are you?” Mingyu said with a smile, sitting opposite him as Ava came to sit beside him. Jihoon was nudging him about his phone that was currently sitting in his lap. He panicked, realising his jeans didn’t have pockets and instead shoving his phone down his jeans, right over his boxers.

“Hey, Ava! I’m doing good, what’s going on with you guys?” Jeonghan smiled brightly, brushing his hair back from his face to lift a spoonful of rice to his mouth.

“We’re doing well thanks, I love your hair like that, it looks awesome!” Ava responded, her voice tinged with that foreigner accent as always. He smiled back at her, just about to respond when the worst came of his plan. On the upside of the current predicament, Jeonghan was lucky he’d put his phone on vibrate, so he was still safe from their questions, but the problem also happened to be that his phone was _on vibrate_ . He suddenly grit his teeth, face contorting as he leant forward, his hair curtaining his face at the unexpected feeling right on his dick. _He really did need to be fucked.  
_

“Hyung? Are you alright?” Mingyu asked, leaning forward to try and meet his gaze, but Jihoon had picked up on what was happening immediately, trying his best not to laugh. He was lucky to have gone to those drama classes, even if he did hate them with his whole being.

“Ah, indigestion again, Jeonghan? That’s the third time this week.” Jihoon said sympathetically, tapping his back and watching as Jeonghan nodded, playing along with Jihoon’s easy lie.

“That’s annoying, do you want a massage?” Ava offered, standing to her feet, but Jeonghan was swallowing dryly, shaking his head in haste,

“N-no, no it’s fine, th-thanks anyway.” He managed to get out, taking steadying breaths as Jihoon bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking.

“Anyway, are we still planning to get dinner out together?” Mingyu asked, voice excited and oblivious of Jeonghan’s current situation.

“Ye-yes, sorry, I lost my phone.” Jeonghan stuttered out, brokenly trying to explain and the call was finally ending, leaving Jeonghan to relax. Jihoon understood as he sat up straight again, smiling softly at Jeonghan.

“Oh, that’s why I didn’t hear from you. It’s okay, we can try and arrange something now, do you have your diary with you?” Ava asked and Jeonghan was frowning, feigning annoyance as he shuffled through his bag,

“Damn it, I must have left it at ho- _fuck_ -” He suddenly cut himself off, keening over as another call started vibrating against his dick.

“I really think you should get this checked out, Jeonghan.” Jisoo spoke this time, catching on to the situation and throwing him a concerned look. Jeonghan was going to kill whoever it was that was trying to call him once Mingyu and Ava had left.

“Yeah, this can’t be good, maybe you need medication.” Jihoon added, frowning and hitting his back again to keep up the act. Jeonghan was really going to lose his mind and why did this call seem to be lasting longer than the last?

“Oh, Jeonghan, are you sure you don’t want a massage?” Ava asked again, but Jeonghan was focusing on literally not coming in his pants right about now. He shook his head, letting his hair whip around his face and trying his best to contain any sounds he might let slip. The call finally ended again and Jeonghan faked a hiccup in order of showing the indigestion had passed.

“Well, how about we meet for coffee next week and we can organise a date for dinner?” Mingyu asked, Ava nodding her agreement as Jeonghan recovered.

“That s-sounds good to me.” Jeonghan replied, trying to steady his voice as he avoided pressing the heel of his palm into his groin.

“Perfect, right, I have to send some designs off to the company so I should get going.” Ava said, Mingyu getting up with her and taking her hand as they wished the three of them a good day, leaving through the cafeteria doors. The moment they were out of earshot, Jeonghan was sliding his tray of food out the way and falling against the table with a groan of annoyance,

“I cannot believe that just happened.” Jihoon said, bursting into laughter and bringing a hand to his eyes to wipe away tears. Jisoo was doing much of the same, smacking his hand on the table and trying to get a word out between bouts of laughter.

“Who was it? Who called you?” Jisoo asked, wiping his eyes with the cuff of his t-shirt. Jeonghan didn’t bother moving, simply shoved his hand down between his jeans and boxers to grab his phone.

“Seungcheol. Fucking Seungcheol almost gave me an orgasm without even touching me.” Jeonghan deadpanned, making Jihoon and Joshua laugh louder, falling against the table in despair.

“O-oh my God, y-you’ve been waiting for that call all week and he- he calls when your phone is directly on your dick.” Jihoon got out between squeaky laughter, punching Jeonghan’s arm as he hid his face in his hands.

“Hang on, let me call Seungkwan, he’ll appreciate this.” Jisoo snorted, tapping Seungkwan’s contact and watching in amusement, Jeonghan didn’t even try to stop him. Seungkwan and Hansol would find out sooner or later. He’d just rather it had been later.

 

Jeonghan dropped Seungcheol a text to ask if he was okay, but hadn’t heard a response and had almost given up hope when he left from his work building that very evening, Seungcheol standing outside.

“Hello, stranger.” He smirked at Jeonghan, slowly looking him up and down without even trying to hide it, “How have you been?” Jeonghan smiled softly, handing his books to Seungcheol on instinct, but as he got closer, there were two things he noticed. First and foremost, Seungcheol was wearing a denim jacket, the sleeves rolled up to his elbow, his tattoo sleeve stark against his pale skin. Jeonghan was transfixed for a moment until his eyes made their way up to his face. His smile dropped and without thinking, he reached his hand up cradling Seungcheol’s face and running a thumb across a dark bruise on his cheek bone. There also seemed to be a deep cut above his eyebrow, steristrips pulling the skin together. It was sure to scar.

“Oh my God, are you okay? What happened?” Jeonghan gushed, hand still on his face and caressing the mottled purple skin with concern. Seungcheol flinched as Jeonghan pressed a little too hard on the tender skin and he was reaching up to cover Jeonghan’s hand with his own, taking it to interlock their fingers.

“I’m fine, I just got caught up in the middle of a fight. Me and a few other guys had to break up a fight the other evening, but it got a little messy.” He explained, interlocking Jeonghan’s fingers with his, confidently as he walked them down the stairs outside the building.

“Does it hurt?” Jeonghan asked, eyeing the scar again and cringing as he observed the depth of it.

“No, really, I’ll be fine.” He smiled softly, expression suddenly changing to amusement, “So, I got a call from one of your friends, Seungkwan, is it?” He added with a smug smile. Jeonghan stopped walking, eyes wide as he froze.

“H-how did he-” Jeonghan began, but Seungcheol was laughing at his expression, smile wider than Jeonghan had ever seen. He couldn’t help thinking he looked younger like this.

“He got my number when you were in the shower the other evening. He started off by texting me threats about how if I hurt you, he’d break my arms, you know the usual best-friend stuff. Anyway, he called me today to tell me about your _eventful day_.” Seungcheol continued, eyebrow raised in amusement as his eyes trailed down Jeonghan’s torso suggestively.

“No- no, this is all a bad dream, no, no, no.” Jeonghan rushed out, cringing as Seungcheol began laughing again, “There is no way that he told you, I’m going to have to commit a felony, aren’t I. Oh my God, I’m going to end up in hell with the murderers because of him.” Jeonghan was pulling his hand away from Seungcheol’s, hiding his face in his arms.

“Oh my God, I didn’t stop laughing for a good ten minutes, Jeonghan.” He teased, laughing again as Jeonghan whined, stamping his feet in annoyance, “What, you’re upset that I wasn’t there to help you cum properly?” Seungcheol murmured quietly into his hair and Jeonghan was shivering now, backing up against the alleyway wall.

“I mean it would’ve been nice.” Jeonghan retorted, a hand still covering his face as he leant back against the red brick, “But we haven’t all got time to go for drinks first.” Jeonghan shot back and Seungcheol had him cornered now, Jeonghan was loving it.

“Hm, what are you suggesting then, baby? I take you home and fuck you now or we go for drinks and I fuck you later?” Seungcheol smirked dirtily and Jeonghan was smiling back at him, eyes glazed with lust.

“How far is your place?” Jeonghan asked, cocking his head and biting down on his lip, eyes dropping down between them for a moment.

“Ten minutes that way,” Seungcheol said quickly, jabbing a finger in the vague direction of his apartment.

“Lead the way, Cheol-ah.” Jeonghan replied, letting Seungcheol drag him down the street.

 

On arriving at Seungcheol’s apartment, Jeonghan realised that maybe Seungcheol was, in fact, _rich_ . His apartment block was gorgeous, the keypad still had all the numbers, unlike his, and the elevator didn’t smell like something might’ve died in the ceiling, _much_ like his.

“You live here?” Jeonghan asked, breathing deeply as Seungcheol unlocked his apartment door, letting Jeonghan in first.

“Well I’m not too keen on taking guys back to other people’s apartments, it’s not classy.” Seungcheol sassed, dropping his keys on the glass coffee table and slipping his shoes off to follow Jeonghan to the floor-to-ceiling window that looked over the city. He watched Jeonghan’s expression shift to awe as he looked out at the citylights, eyes reflecting the traffic back at him.

“Wow.” He breathed quietly, hands hovering on the glass to not leave fingerprints, Seungcheol smiled, gripping Jeonghan’s hips from behind,

“You like it here? In the city, I mean.” Seungcheol asked breath fanning Jeonghan’s skin before he turned his head in submission, pushing his hair away from his neck so Seungcheol could kiss along it.

“Yeah, I grew up in the countryside. I love the city.” He breathed out, face so close to the window that his breath fogged the glass as Seungcheol sucked a hickey just under his jaw, “W-what about you?” Jeonghan breathed, humming as Seungcheol licked over the bruise, making him shiver.

“I miss Osaka, I guess.” He whispered into Jeonghan’s neck, letting him twist around in his grip, hands barely skimming his hips now.

“I’ve never been.” Jeonghan mumbled and Seungcheol was staring at his lips, moments ticking by before Jeonghan was leaning in, closing the short space between them, Seungcheol taking control immediately. Jeonghan had never been kissed like this, never, and it was making him a little light-headed. He felt a hand reach up, twisting in his long hair and tangling between fingers as the kiss deepened, Seungcheol’s tongue darting out to swipe at Jeonghan’s bottom lip, infuriatingly slow. His back was pressing against the glass, Seungcheol’s hand on his waist, sliding their hips together and leaving Jeonghan breathlessly pulling away, before Seungcheol began pressing searing kisses down his neck, Jeonghan tilting his head back.

“Mh- _fuck_.” Jeonghan mumbled, sliding a hand around Seungcheol’s neck, the other locking their fingers as Seungcheol held his hand against the cold glass of the window.

“Someone’s sensitive.” Seungcheol commented, humming between Jeonghan’s clavicle, making him shiver and squeeze his hand against Seungcheol’s.

“ _Ah_ , can y-you blame me?” Jeonghan shot back, pulling him back up to kiss him harshly, teeth clashing a little as he scrambled for dominance, but Seungcheol wasn’t letting up. Before Jeonghan could protest, Seungcheol was pulling him up by the thighs, wrapping Jeonghan’s toned legs around his waist and carrying him through the house, kissing him passionately.

“Did I ever tell you how good your ass looks in these jeans?” Seungcheol commented, blindly clicking the light on as he trailed his hands down to grip at the curve of Jeonghan’s ass, pulling the sensitive skin of his neck between his teeth and licking over it softly.

“I’d have liked it to be said earlier, but I guess I got what I wanted in the end.” Jeonghan teased, tilting his head and rutting his hips between them to create some friction between his crotch and Seungcheol’s abdomen. He involuntarily groaned, Seungcheol smirking against his neck as he lay him down on his bed, reaching for the hem of his sweater in haste. Jeonghan smirked down at him, helping pull the fabric over his head and reaching up for Seungcheol to kiss him again, hot and wet without a moment to catch their breath.

“Your shirt- off.” Jeonghan managed to get out, grasping at the fabric with his hands and trying his best to keep quiet as Seungcheol kissed down his neck and chest, sucking in places that had Jeonghan’s back arching off the mattress. Pulling his shirt over his head, Jeonghan’s eyes fell on Seungcheol’s chest, momentarily pausing in shock.

“F-fuck.” Jeonghan stuttered out, reaching up to rest his hand on Seungcheol’s chest with a devious look in his eyes. He pulled himself up, flipping them over so Seungcheol was laying against the mattress, dark hair standing out against the sheets, “Fuck, t-they’re so hot.” Jeonghan managed to get out, eyes staring down at his chest in awe. Not only did Seungcheol have the most beautifully toned abdomen and chest, there was so much more. His collarbones were painted in ink, two branches of cherry blossom curving over the prominent bones, all in black and drawn so beautifully that Jeonghan could stare at it forever. Working his way down, Jeonghan noticed another tattoo, just below his left pectoral, a geometric pattern, flowers blooming in the centre all in pure black as if it were trying to stand out against his pale skin. The final tattoo rested at his right hip bone, four sets of numbers stacked on top of one another; 17:32, 12:18, 13:49 and 01:13. But Jeonghan’s favourite feature by far was his chest, because glinting in the low lighting of his bedroom were two barbell piercings, one through each nipple.

“I thought you might like them.” Seungcheol breathed, voice low and husky as he reached up for Jeonghan’s jaw, caressing his face gently. Jeonghan finally snapped out of his daze, leaning down, with Seungcheol’s guidance, to kiss and nip down his chest, pulling a barbell between his teeth and staring up at him over the plain of his chest. Seungcheol hummed and Jeonghan was twisting his mouth around the other, moving to the other side of his chest and running his hands up and down Seungcheol’s sides, over his rib cage and the pretty geometric tattoo, all the way down to the waistband of his jeans, pressing into the place in which his hip bones jutted out. Jeonghan spent a while on his nipples, lapping at them equally and pulling the barbells between his teeth in fascination, slowly rolling his hips down into Seungcheol’s and humming whenever he pulled a moan or growl from the back of Seungcheol’s throat.

“You’re more sensitive than I expected.” Jeonghan whispered, grazing his teeth over the raised, over-sensitive skin around his nipples.

“Hm, w-why do you think I wanted them done tha-than for this exact purpose.” Seungcheol groaned, rolling his hips up to meet Jeonghan’s and gripping at his clothed ass impatiently, “Come on, baby, speed this up a bit.” And there it was. The fantasy Jeonghan had tried pushing out his head of Seungcheol groaning out that exact pet-name. He smirked, running his tongue down, down over his abdomen and nipping harshly at his navel. Seungcheol was patient, but he’d had enough now. He flipped Jeonghan back underneath his body, knocking the breath out of him with the force of pinning him to the mattress. He reached for Jeonghan’s zipper, sliding his jeans down his legs, the fabric taking his socks off with them. Seungcheol eyed the bulge in his boxers, mouthing at him over the fabric before sliding just his tip out, lapping the head slowly, riling him up and making him thrust his hips upwards, but Seungcheol was moving away.

“C-come on, Cheol-ah.” Jeonghan whined, the back of his hand resting over his mouth to stifle his moans as Seungcheol dragged the fabric down his legs, pressing kisses up his length only to devour him, hitting the back of his throat with ease, “F-fuck! Oh God- _Seungcheol!_ ” Jeonghan was moaning, writhing and gripping a hand in Seungcheol’s hair as he moaned into the back of his hand. He pulled off, looking up at Jeonghan devilishly,

“You’re acting like you might already cum, has it been awhile?” Seungcheol asked, kissing his hips and thighs as Jeonghan tried to compose himself.

“S-something like that.” He said vaguely, massaging his hand in Seungcheol’s hair and looking down at him before he watched him devour his cock again, “Oh _God_ , _Mh_ , f-feels good.” He added, moaning and tightening his grip in Seungcheol’s hair making him groan around his cock, sending vibrations to his core and making him gasp. With another harsh suck, Seungcheol was pulling off, Jeonghan whining and squirming as he reached up again with grabby hands.

“Mh, I know, baby. Just hang on, okay?” Seungcheol whispered in his response to Jeonghan’s whining. The bed shifted and Jeonghan watched in anticipation as Seungcheol pulled a bottle of lube from the top drawer, settling back down between his thighs.

“I-I can do it, if you want.” Jeonghan spoke, propping himself up on his elbows to reach for the bottle, but Seungcheol was frowning.

“But I want to, baby.” Seungcheol smirked, lifting Jeonghan’s thighs up, leaning down to lap at his tight ring of muscle and suckle up over his perineum.

“Hm, you surprise me,” Jeonghan smiled, leaning back and relaxing into the sheets, forearm falling across his forehead as he looked down at Seungcheol through thick lashes, “No one’s ever done this part for me.” He added, pressing his hips into the mattress and arching his back when he felt Seungcheol press a slick finger at his entrance.

“You’ve clearly never been with anyone who knows how to treat such a princess.” Seungcheol smiled, leaning down to hook a knee over his shoulder, pressing his index finger in down to the knuckle and turning his head to press kisses into Jeonghan’s thigh.

“ _Ah_ , or you’re just too- too good to me.” Jeonghan mumbled, smiling as his eyes fell shut, Seungcheol creating a rhythm with his index finger. He watched him sigh, relaxing further into the sheets as Seungcheol pressed deeper, the look of pure bliss on Jeonghan’s face becoming too erotic for his mind.

“Enjoying yourself, Jeonghan?” Seungcheol commented, pouring a little more lube onto his fingers before sliding two inside him, gripping at Jeonghan’s thigh over his shoulder with blunt nails, licking and sucking the skin within reach.

“ _Fuck_ , d-do you even have to ask?” Jeonghan keened, tensing up a little at the intrusion of two fingers, but adjusting with ease, “Oh God, I missed this.” He moaned, the words not fully registering in his mind as Seungcheol curled his fingers, _so close_.

“You don’t seem like the type to leave it too long not to get laid again, so why is this effecting you so much, hm?” Seungcheol teased, skating his fingers lightly up Jeonghan’s torso and pinching at his left nipple, making Jeonghan open his eyes, glazed as he stared down his body at Seungcheol.

“J-just sensitive I guess.” Jeonghan replied, refraining from telling the truth which he was not prepared to call ‘lying’, “I’ve never been treated li-like this.” He added and that much was true. Jongin had treated him well, of course, but he was expected to prepare himself and please Jongin more than himself. It wasn’t unfair, it was just what he’d done in most relationships, he put everyone else’s needs before his own. That was what he’d been taught to do.

“You really haven’t been treated right, have you.” Seungcheol stated, curling his two fingers into Jeonghan a little harsher now, leaning further up his body to kiss him fiercely, muting his moans between their mouths. Jeonghan whined, lips wet and glistening, a little swollen as Seungcheol pulled back to watch his expression as he stretched his two fingers, pulling them apart as he sped up the pace.

“ _Fu-fuck_ , Cheol-ah, _please._ ” Jeonghan whined out, arching his back again and trying his best to keep his hips still, watching with lidded eyes as Seungcheol trailed back down his body, his thigh still pulled over his shoulder as he curled his fingers deeper now and hitting his protstate, “ _Ah!_ Oh God, _please,_ I-I’m ready- J-just _fuck me_.” He begged out and Seungcheol was laughing, low and throaty and dripping in sex as he pulled his fingers back out, circling his rim again to watch Jeonghan carefully.

“You’re not ready, baby.” He replied, a smirk on his face as he eyed the bulge in his own jeans, “Not yet.” Jeonghan was squirming now, reaching for his hand to press back into him, rolling his hips up, anything to get a release. It had been too long and he’d always had to rush anyway, getting his partner off before himself, but Seungcheol was doing something to him. He was turning into this complete submissive and as much as Jeonghan embraced it, Seungcheol was _indulging_ it.

“Three, then. Just- h-hurry up.” Jeonghan whined, rolling his hips upwards and Seungcheol really was watching down in awe now. Maybe Jeonghan was a dancer as well? No one just moved their hips like _that_. He pressed three fingers into Jeonghan’s tight heat, watching his expression and expecting it to burn a little now. He was right, but Jeonghan had a high pain tolerance and this was the good sort of burn, this wasn’t anything he hadn’t felt before.

“So good, you’re doing so well.” Seungcheol growled out, leaning down to kiss at his hip bones, curling his fingers into Jeonghan’s prostate and maybe, _just maybe_ , Jeonghan was forming a minor praise kink. He whined, eyes going glassy from the stimulation on his prostate and Seungcheol was licking at his cock now, lapping at pre-cum and twining his fingers with Jeonghan’s. It was the perfect moment for Jeonghan to cum, just like this, but he waited, held out until Seungcheol finally deemed him ready, pulling his fingers out and watching Jeonghan tense around nothing, hungrily.

“C-condom,” The logical part of Jeonghan’s brain suddenly suggested, interrupting as Seungcheol began removing his jeans and boxers, suddenly catching Jeonghan’s attention, “Wow, oh God.” He mumbled, Seungcheol leaning over him to reach for a condom from the bedside drawers, Jeonghan getting an eyeful of his hard cock. It was something else, Jeonghan didn’t know where to start, he didn’t know if he could even concentrate on where to start.

“Like what you see?” Seungcheol scoffed, sitting back between Jeonghan’s thighs to roll the condom on, eyes dark as he leant back on his heels, abdomen flexing a little too deliciously as he reached for the lube.

“More than a little.” Jeonghan mumbled, mouth watering at merely the sight, “I hope you’re not just going to fuck me with it.” He supplied, licking his lips and pushing his long hair out of his face.

“Oh, I have a few nice things planned for the future.” Seungcheol groaned, lining himself up with Jeonghan’s clenching muscle and scooping his leg back over his shoulder, “Ready?” He asked, watching from behind his dark hair to see Jeonghan nodding furiously. He pressed in, gritting his teeth at the heat and tension surrounding his cock.

“ _Holy shit_.” Jeonghan whined into the back of his hand and Seungcheol didn’t look up, watching as Jeonghan’s body moved without his brain’s consent, hips rolling down on instinct. He was finally switching his gaze up to Jeonghan’s face, letting him adjust to his size and waiting for Jeonghan to tell him to move.

“Fuck, you’re tight, Hannie.” Seungcheol whined, hair falling in his face as he panted a little, trying his best to control himself from pulling out and harshly thrusting back in without Jeonghan’s consent.

“Mh, _shit_ \- you can move.” Jeonghan moaned out, voice breathy and desperate as he reached up to grip Seungcheol’s nape, pulling his thigh closer to his chest for him to thrust deeper.

“Already? Are you sure?” He checked, watching Jeonghan’s face contort between pain and pleasure. It wasn’t like Seungcheol ignored the fact he was bigger than most, but he didn’t really like to brag about it. He wanted Jeonghan to be comfortable before anything else and if that meant waiting longer than he’d like for Jeonghan’s body to adjust to him, then he didn’t mind, but Jeonghan was shaking his head.

“ _Please,_ I’m ready, I’m sure.” His voice whiny and pleading and he was dropping the hand he had on Seungcheol’s neck as he moaned again, trying his best to stifle it in the palm of his hand as he felt the intrusion shift within him. He cried out again as Seungcheol pushed in, harder this time and that was enough for him to know he could lose himself now. He didn’t need to worry. He set a faster pace, snapping his hips in a steady rhythm and groaning deeply, dropping Jeonghan’s thigh from his shoulder as he leant down to hide his face in Jeonghan’s neck, nipping and abusing the skin, revelling in the mix of their combined moans.

“ _Fuck_ , you’re doing so well, Jeonghannie.” Seungcheol groaned, tangling a hand into his long hair, his grip tight, making Jeonghan whine out. He loved having his hair pulled, “So good for me, baby.” He whispered into his neck, grazing his teeth against Jeonghan’s jugular again, hips ruthless and unforgiving as he set the pace.

“ _Yes, fe-feels so good_.” Jeonghan cried, head tilting back into the pillows beneath him and grasping a hand on Seungcheol’s back, scratching with blunt nails, the other hand twisting in the bed sheets.

“Fuck, turn over, baby.” Seungcheol growled, pulling out, startling Jeonghan at the loss of contact and helping him scramble onto his hands and knees. He quickly thrust back in, pace faster now, reaching for Jeonghan’s hair, pulling him back to keep his head up, nothing to stifle his moans now. It was like Jeonghan had never truly been fucked before now, never like this, never so comfortable and hot and _desperate._ Seungcheol fucked him like he meant it. That’s what Jeonghan had been missing out on.

“ _Cheol-ah_ , I’m going to- going to cum.” He stuttered out, propping himself up with one hand as he reached between his legs, biting on his lip as he jerked his cock in tandem with Seungcheol’s thrust. His mind when blank for a moment, _was he coming too soon, being too desperate?_ But Seungcheol was pushing Jeonghan’s hand away from his cock, running the rough pad of his thumb over the head to tease him, watching as his hands gave out beneath him, falling forward to sob brokenly into a pillow. He hiccupped, pushing back against Seungcheol’s hips in despair, chasing his release as Seungcheol kept his pace.

“Hm, hold it a moment.” Seungcheol grunted low in his throat, skin glistening in sweat as he thrust harshly, breaths coming short and uneven before he was clenching his thighs, “You can cum for me, baby.” He finally moaned out and it had felt like an eternity that Jeonghan had been waiting. A few more thrusts and Jeonghan was coming over the sheets and into Seungcheol’s hand, breathless and whining, reaching back for any part of Seungcheol. He reached forward to grip his hand, interlacing their fingers once again as he continued abusing Jeonghan’s prostate, helping him ride out the high, his orgasm hitting him moments later. Maybe it was euphoria to have this very boy beneath him, sobbing into his sheets and making the most wonderful noises, but Seungcheol could only think about the message, the very threat that had brought them to this point. That was the very reason he’d met Jeonghan outside work, waited all evening to explain things, but he’d ended up balls deep in Jeonghan and if there were any other way he’d rather die, he couldn’t think of it right now. His cum was filling the condom within Jeonghan, warm and hot and too much for Jeonghan’s sensitive prostate. He whined, hips twitched and wriggling as Seungcheol finally pulled out, helping to turn him over before he discarded his condom. Jeonghan was panting, chest heaving and Seungcheol was over him a moment later, a warm cloth in his hand as he wiped his hands and Jeonghan’s thighs down.

“Fuck,” Jeonghan moaned, relaxing against the sheets for a moment, but Seungcheol was curling him into his arms.

“Stay the night?” He suggested and that was not what Jeonghan was expecting, but he couldn’t think of a better way to spend his evening. He turned, moving his face so he was inches from Seungcheol’s lips,

“Of course.” He mumbled, leaning in to kiss him slowly, hands tracing his tattoos and running over his piercings again. Maybe by the time Seungcheol awoke he’d find the right moment to explain the predicament, but for now, he just wanted _this_ moment. He wanted to keep this moment for himself, no anxieties or worries connected to it, just Jeonghan’s skin on his, his heartbeat tapping against his hand and the long mess of platinum hair.

 

Jeonghan knew you didn’t stay the night after a one-night-stand, but here he was, wrapped up in Seungcheol’s arms, laying awake at 3am. He was comfortable and warm and he’d never been so relaxed in someone’s hold, so carefree.

“J-Jeonghan?” He whipped his head, turning over to meet Seungcheol’s gaze, his eyes closing slowly as he squinted at Jeonghan in the darkness. Jeonghan thought he looked beautiful like this.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He mumbled back, moving to lay on his back, Seungcheol’s arm still slung across his bare chest, curling their fingers together.

“No, it’s okay,” He asked quietly, shuffling his body up the bed to pull Jeonghan into his chest, his long hair splayed across Seungcheol’s chest, “Are you in pain?” He asked in concern and Jeonghan was shaking his head, hair tickling at Seungcheol’s skin.

“No, I’m just fidgety,” He replied, a smile lacing his voice, “I wasn’t really expecting you to ask me to spend the night.” He added, not wanting Seungcheol to think he’d regretted his choice, but also unsure of why he’d offered in the first place.

“Did you want to go home?” Seungcheol asked softly, stroking his hair softly. Jeonghan shook his head again, smiling into his skin,

“No, I like being here,” He replied, skating a hand over Seungcheol’s tattoos, “With you. It’s nice.” He continued, suddenly scared he’d said too much. For a moment he wondered whether he should take it back, but Seungcheol was leaning down, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head and running his hand down Jeonghan’s bare, soft skin.

“I like it too.” Seungcheol replied quietly, silence falling between them for a moment and Seungcheol wondered whether he should bring up his predicament, “Jeonghan, can I ask you something?” Jeonghan moved his head to look up at Seungcheol over the place on his chest.

“What is it?” Jeonghan asked, a little apprehensive, but willing to answer. Seungcheol breathed slowly, not knowing where to start with this subject. He finally decided to ease him into it, that was a start,

“C-can you tell me about your family?” Seungcheol finally asked, running his hand over his face in annoyance, “Oh God, that sounded so creepy, let me explain-”

“They all died when I was younger. My mother and father went to Japan for the weekend with my older sister. They- they never made it back.” Jeonghan cut in. He was fine, really he was, it was a long time ago and he didn’t have the energy to be sad anymore. It had always been like this growing up, being passed between foster families and never really finding a place to call home. Seungcheol was quiet then, he didn’t want Jeonghan to stop talking, but he had and it wasn’t a moment later that he felt Jeonghan press his face closer into Seungcheol’s rib-cage.

“I- I’m sorry, it wasn’t fair of me to ask so easily. I should’ve given you time.” Seungcheol said quietly, pressing another soft kiss to the crown of his head. Jeonghan smiled,

“No, really, it’s okay. It was a long time ago and I never really knew them anyway. It was right before my fifth birthday so I really don’t remember. My grandparents weren’t well enough to look after me for a long period of time so I was fostered.” He explained and he didn’t know what was willing him to tell Seungcheol all of this, but now he’d started, he couldn’t stop.

“My family died as well.” Seungcheol replied softly, voice a little husky and he was speaking slowly now. Jeonghan looked up at him again, eyes wide and apologetic, “We were living in Japan at the time. My mother, father, older sister and twin brother.” He explained and Jeonghan was shifting now, comfortably looking up at him.

“Twin?” He questioned, squinting a little as Seungcheol reached for the lamp, grabbing his wallet off the bedside table and pulling out a photograph. The photograph Jeonghan had given back to him the day they’d met, the day Jeonghan tackled him to the ground.

“My twin.” Seungcheol confirmed, passing him the photo for Jeonghan to study again, “My parents had taken us with them to Osaka, I don’t really remember what happened, but I was the only person who managed to get out the building. It could have been a shooting or a fire or maybe like the twin towers incident, but I managed to block out the memory pretty early on in my life. All I remember is running towards the policemen and firemen who were charging into the building. They broke my foot I think, I don’t really remember, but one of them picked me up and took me to a paramedic. That’s all I can recall.” He rambled and the embarrassment was hitting him a moment later when he looked down to see Jeonghan staring up at him with wide, glassy eyes, so close to crying.

“I’m s-so sorry.” Jeonghan got out, voice trembling as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, pausing a moment to compose himself, “How did you come to Korea, then?” He asked softly, pressing a kiss into Seungcheol’s rib cage. He smiled, taking the photo back from Jeonghan and placing it on his bedside table.

“My grandparents live here. They raised me and, for once, they didn’t care about my love for art and tattoo work. They were just grateful I made it out alive. They used to say that all the rest would follow and I never really understood it until now.” Seungcheol smiled sadly, staring up at the ceiling in the dim light of his lamp. Jeonghan didn’t have the heart to ask him what the phrase meant, it seemed too personal, too close to home and they’d already shared a lot.

“Why did you want to know about my family?” Jeonghan asked, curiosity lacing his voice and suddenly Seungcheol’s chest was pausing it’s steady rise and fall. Jeonghan sat up.

“I- how do I say this.” Seungcheol tried to start, sitting up and crossing his legs to look at Jeonghan properly, “We- we’ve met before and it’s no coincidence that our families died at the same place.” Jeonghan was frowning. He was scared, more than he would’ve liked to be and Seungkwan’s voice of warning was running through his mind. Something wasn’t right.

“W-what are you saying, Seungcheol?” He asked, voice firm, only shaking a little, but the fear wasn’t shifting.

“I’m saying that our families were in the same accident. That we’re- we’re still being watched.” Seungcheol tried to explain, but his brain was a mess and Jeonghan was getting up now, shifting from the mattress and pulling his clothes on in a hurry, “Hey, Jeonghannie, please just hear me out.” He tried, but Jeonghan was spinning towards him, hair falling over his bare shoulders as he leant to zipper his jeans.

“And you thought to tell me this now? You thought it best to lead me on and tell me all of this- which I doubt is true- and then reveal that we’ve met before? Why did you think this was okay?” Jeonghan screeched, pulling his sweater over his head now in a rush to leave his apartment. He needed to go, to get away from Seungcheol. He’d lied and for what? For a quick fuck?

“Jeonghan, wait-” Seungcheol called sympathetically, pulling his boxers on as he ran after him, meeting him in the lounge and gripping his forearm.

“No! You can’t do this. Get away from me. I don’t know who you are, but we’ve never met before this. Our paths have never crossed, stop trying to convince me otherwise! You’re messing with something that shouldn’t be messed with.” Jeonghan yelled, expecting the neighbours to awake from his noise, but all he could see was red. He tore his arm out of Seungcheol’s grip, pulling his coat on as he unlocked the apartment door.

“Jeonghan, it’s 3 in the morning, you can’t go out like this. J-just let me drive you home-” Seungcheol began, but Jeonghan was standing in the doorway.

“I don’t want anything from you. Don’t call me, don’t text me, I don’t want to hear from you.” He grit out, turning and slamming the door, skipping down the stairs and pulling his hood up. Seungcheol was left standing in the hallway and for the first time in years, he thought he might cry.

 

“H-Hansol, are you with Seungkwan?” Jeonghan whispered into his phone, trying to hide the wrecked sound of his voice from crying. He’d walked back to his practice building, but the rain was getting heavier and he was beginning to feel the pain in his hips and lower back. He was currently thanking his lucky stars that Hansol had picked up his phone call.

“Mh, yeah I’m with him,” Hansol paused, blinking and looking at the time on his phone, “Wait, Hyung, what’s going on?”

“C-can you come and pick me up? I’m at my practice building.” Jeonghan whispered, unable to conceal the sound of his broken sobs anymore. He could hear rustling and the click of a door before Hansol responded,

“I’ll be there in five minutes. Sit tight, Hyung.” He responded, hanging up a moment later.

 

Sure enough, Hansol was there in five minutes and forty-four seconds, not that Jeonghan was counting. On seeing Jeonghan’s dishevelled state, Hansol knew something was seriously wrong. He knew something was wrong when he got a phone call at 3 am, but even more so at seeing Jeonghan’s face. Jeonghan didn’t cry. He once broke his arm and left it for almost four days before Seungkwan forcefully took him to the hospital, he hadn’t shed a single tear. In all the years they’d known him, he’d never cried over his family, never weeped on their anniversary dates, nothing. In fact, Hansol had only ever seen him cry once, when he’d watched _Titanic_. He pulled Jeonghan into a hug, letting him sob into his shoulder for a moment before ushering him into his car, out of the rain and blasting the rackety heater.

“Have you eaten?” Hansol asked, jaw tight as his eyes flit towards Jeonghan who was staring at his knees, tears dampening his jeans. He shook his head. Come to think of it he hadn’t eaten for maybe 12 hours now, he wasn’t even hungry, “Shall I grab you something from the convenience store or do you want to order takeout?” He responded, when he made no effort to speak. Jeonghan breathed shakily,

“I’m not hungry.” He said shortly and Hansol was sighing, pulling into a layby outside a convenience store. He was back within a few minutes and handing Jeonghan a plastic bag, before they continued a little further down the street to their apartment complex.

“Seungkwan should be up by now.” Hansol said quietly, pulling the keys from the ignition and undoing his seatbelt, but Jeonghan wasn’t moving, “Hyung? Come on, you’re going to catch a cold like this. Let’s get you upstairs-”

“I’m never going to find someone who looks at me the way you look at Seungkwan, I know that, b-but maybe- just maybe- I thought that Seungcheol might become even half of what you are to Seungkwan.” Jeonghan cut in, eyes unblinking, trained on the dashboard as Hansol struggled to find anything suitable to say. He knew that Jeonghan had barely known Seungcheol, he knew that they were recent companions, barely even considered as friends, but there was something different about their relationship. Jeonghan didn’t usually become so infatuated with someone so quickly, in fact, he had never become infatuated with someone, period. It had been so very short that Seungkwan and Hansol had barely even spoken about it, barely had the chance.

“Jeonghannie-Hyung, wha-whatever happened with you both, I’m sure you can resolve it.” Hansol responded, placing his hand on Jeonghan’s damp shoulder. He didn’t know if they could resolve whatever had gone on, he really had no clue, but what else could he say?

“I wish you were right.” He mumbled and he knew he was being dramatic, that this was his own doing, his own reaction that got him to this point, but what if Seungcheol was scamming him. What if when it came down to it, Seungcheol was some sick reporter who’d lured him into his bed to hear the truth about the incident, after all, it was still being looked into. Things were still being brought up about the very day, but Jeonghan had never made an effort to find out what those things were. He wanted to forget it all, because when it came down to it, things would always be like this. If Seungcheol was being legitimate, then it really did work out- they’d both been in the same circumstances, one being raised by his rich grandparents who gave him everything, the other being passed between foster homes, never really wanted and never really loved. The world had never been kind, Jeonghan knew that from a young age, but this really was the last straw.

 

The next thing Jeonghan remembered was being sat down at their apartment dining table. He didn’t recall how he’d gotten there, but Seungkwan was sitting opposite him, sliding a warm mug of tea over towards him and exchanging glances with Hansol.

“Hyung? Do you want to talk about it?” Seungkwan tried, startling Jeonghan and almost making him spill his tea. The quiet was nice.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” He replied, sipping at his drink slowly, eyes unmoving from their place on the table.

“It’s about Seungcheol, am I right?” Seungkwan tried again and Hansol was throwing him a warning look, Jeonghan flinching at the very words. He got up, ready to leave, but Seungkwan was leaning across the table, grabbing his hand before he could pull away, “Please, Hyung, just-just talk to us. We’re scared.” He tried and really, he was more worried than scared, but he wasn’t lying. Jeonghan froze, this was a guilt trip, he knew it.

“Seungkwan, I said it’s nothing.” Jeonghan’s voice was low, firm and gritty, but low and Seungkwan was pulling away, retracting his hand and watching as Jeonghan retreated to his bedroom. Seungkwan looked towards Hansol in panic, this had never happened before.

“Should we give him space?” Hansol asked quietly, slipping a hand around Seungkwan’s waist and pulling him in to his body.

“I’m calling that bastard, right now.” Seungkwan suddenly grit out, marching to the kitchen outlet where his phone was charging.

“Seungkwan, you can’t, it’s 3am and besides, I don't think we should get involved.” Hansol tried, reaching after him and trying to swipe his phone from his hands.

“So, what do you suggest? That we ‘give him space’? Space to do what? I’m not sitting here and letting him be torn apart over some sick motherfucker.” Seungkwan snapped, voice raised a little and Hansol expected that Jeonghan could hear him by now. He dialled the number, surprised that Seungcheol picked up after merely a half tone, “Seungcheol? What the fuck have you done?” there was silence on the other end for a moment until he heard heavy breathing, as if Seungcheol were fighting tears.

“‘Kwan, I had to tell him, I couldn’t let him think I was a stranger for another-” Seungcheol began but Seungkwan was cutting in, eyes fiery and voice dropping to a murderous tone.

“What? What did you tell him? What do you mean you couldn’t ‘let him think you were a stranger’?” Seungkwan spoke, tired of Seungcheol’s riddles already. He’d get nowhere like this.

“H-he didn’t tell you?” Seungcheol responded, quietly, surprised and a little shocked. _Why hadn’t he told them? They were his best friends.  
_

“No, he hasn’t spoken to us. So what happened, Cheol-ah? What did you do to make him cry, you bastard?” Seungkwan could feel his anger rising, feel his heart begin to pound.

“Fuck, Seungkwan. This isn’t my place to-” Seungcheol began but Hansol was cutting in now, taking the phone from Seungkwan and gritting his teeth.

“I don’t give a flying fuck whether it’s your place to tell or not. Now, what did you say to him, you piece of shit.” Hansol never spoke like that and Seungkwan knew, but for once he was maybe the tiniest bit scared of him. Not to mention a little turned on. There was silence on the other end of the line and Hansol was a moment away from getting his keys, driving the whole town if he had to, just to find Seungcheol, when he finally responded.

“He- our parents. They were in the same accident. He’s not safe, Hansol. Our families both died in the same accident and I didn’t tell him until now. He said I was messing with something I shouldn’t be messing with but it wasn’t me who started this. I’ve been getting threats for the both of us for a while now. I couldn’t just let him go about his life like this, he wouldn’t even hear me out. He doesn’t know this part yet.” Seungcheol rambled, voice failing him as he tried choking back tears, “I was just trying to protect him.”

“And you thought it was okay to tell him this far along? You thought it was okay to lead him on and fuck him up before telling him?” It was Seungkwan yelling this time, snatching the phone back from Hansol as his head began to spin.

“Look, I didn’t know what else to do! I didn’t know how else to tell him, Seungkwan. I didn’t even know who he was when I met him that first night, I just needed someone to cover for me.” Seungcheol tried explaining, hiccuping now and Hansol was beginning to worry a little. This wasn’t a coincidence, yet it wasn’t exactly planned, “I wanted to find him and meet him properly before telling him all of this. I had good intentions from the beginning, I never wanted it to be like this.” His voice faded out and Hansol looked up to meet Seungkwan’s gaze. _Where did they go from here?_ Seungcheol was being legitimate and Jeonghan wasn’t believing a single word, yet Jeonghan was in danger. They couldn’t make Jeonghan believe something he didn’t want to believe.

“Well, how come he hasn’t received any of these threats, Cheol-ah?” Seungkwan shot back, voice a little softer now, Hansol nodding along.

“Because of his file. On his record for the foster agency, his surname is under Kim, not Yoon. Someone changed his birth name.” Seungcheol replied, sniffing into his sleeve and trying his best to sound stable.

“How do you know this? Why do you know so much about him?” Hansol was back on red-alert. Him and Seungkwan both knew how much Jeonghan hated talking about his past. He always said that his past was exactly where it needed to be- behind him. It had taken them almost 5 years of knowing him for Jeonghan to finally tell them his birthday. They understood, though, if he didn’t want to talk about things, then he didn’t have to. He knew his reputation, knew it was bad from having to fund himself at college and not having family, but everyone assumed that this was because his family cut him off for something he did and he never tried contradicting. It was easier to let people think what they wanted than to keep reminding himself that he, in fact, had no one.

“I’ve been trying to find him for about a year now. I know it’s weird, but he was the only other person I knew who to contact. He-he was actually there, in Osaka, when the accident happened.” Seungcheol explained and Seungkwan was swallowing dryly. He didn’t know the story of how Jeonghan’s family had died, simply that there had been an ‘accident’. None of Jeonghan’s friends knew, actually, he liked to keep things simple- his name was Yoon Jeonghan, he was born in Busan in 1995, he liked things that were sweet and was gayer than he truly let on. That was it, those were his identifiable traits.

“Look, Seungcheol, we don’t know anything about the accident in the first place. No one does, Jeonghan-Hyung keeps the past where it should be and he’s never let it define him, so don’t try and do that to him now.” Seungkwan replied, looking at Hansol for a beat before he continued, “We’ll try and get him to talk to you, but he’s not going to come easy. If there’s any chance that you’re lying about this and bringing up something from the past that he doesn’t want to expose, just know that Hansol and I will hunt you down, slit your throat and send your body parts to anyone who’s ever loved you.” He grit out and Hansol stumbled back a moment. Seungcheol suttered on a breath, dragging his voice into something more composed,

“I don’t doubt it, Seungkwan, the list shouldn’t be too long for you both.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning- Lowkey panic attack in this and lots of emotions. Like a lot of them.

Jeonghan hadn’t left his room for three days. Hansol had left food outside his door and when Seungkwan had arrived home from his lectures he left a fresh glass of water, knocking and telling him it was there, but both were left untouched.

“Hansol, I think we’re going to have to break his door in or something.” Seungkwan whispered through the receiver on his phone, peering at the door as if Jeonghan might suddenly deem it appropriate to appear after not showing his face for three days.

“Just give him time, Seungkwan.” Hansol tried, sighing as he began walking to his car to drive home from his study halls.

“But you said that the first night and it’s been three days and-” Seungkwan began but Hansol was interrupting him, tutting at him through the receiver.

“Yes and three days can hardly count as ‘time’, Kwannie. Let him get through this at his own pace, okay?” Hansol tried again, rolling his eyes as Seungkwan sighed dramatically. It wasn’t like he didn’t care, it was more like he cared a little too much and if Jeonghan said he needed time, then that’s what he’d get. Hansol knew him too well to not give him what he asked for.

“But he hasn’t ea-” Seungkwan began, suddenly cutting off as he heard a suspicious sound through the receiver. Hansol wasn’t quiet, letting Seungkwan speak, nor was he breathing steadily as he walked through the parking lot. No, it sounded like fast-paced footsteps, heavy breathing and-

“Se-Kwan g-get Cheol-” Hansol’s voice suddenly came through, choked and uneven as if he were being strangled. It was a moment before Seungkwan reacted and suddenly the sound of a piercing scream sounded the apartment. He was shocked to find that it was his own. His brain flicked into overdrive at the sound of a gun being cocked. For once, this was actually an appropriate reaction to the current situation and Seungkwan suddenly comprehended the obvious- Hansol was in danger. This had happened so fast, whatever _this_ was. Hansol must have been tracked, watched and ready for someone to pounce. Something like that, Seungkwan wasn’t too familiar with mafia terms, if he were honest.

“H-Hansol! What- what’s happening? Please, Hansol, I’m s-scared!” Seungkwan yelped, running towards Jeonghan’s bedroom door and knocking frantically, tears in his eyes as he tried to process what was happening.

“G-get Ch-” Hansol’s voice cut off, the disconnecting tone buzzing in his ear.

“Ha-Hansol!” He yelped and suddenly Jeonghan was tearing open the door, eyes wide with concern as he watched Seungkwan collapse into his chest, sobbing and frantically trying to phone Hansol back.

“What- what happened?” Jeonghan asked and Seungkwan was running back into the living room, grabbing his coat and pulling his shoes on.

“Seungcheol-Hyung, I have to call Seungcheol-Hyung.” He muttered out, choking on tears and wiping the back of his hand over his face messily. Jeonghan was on his heels.

“Seungkwan! What is going on? What happened?” Jeonghan yelled, lunging forward to grip his wrist firmly. Seungkwan paused a moment, pulling his hand back from Jeonghan’s in haste,

“Hansol- It’s- he’s in trouble.” He managed to get out and he knew that he’d explained it badly, but his brain wasn’t thinking rationally. Jeonghan pulled his coat on over his sweater and sweatpants, grabbing his keys and ushering Seungkwan out the door as he rang Seungcheol’s number, voice unstable and shaking until Jeonghan took the phone from him.

“Jeonghan?” The line crackled and Seungcheol’s voice sounded like he’d been awoken from sleep, “What is it?”

“Hansol, s-something’s happened. Seungkwan said we have to call you.” Jeonghan rushed out, pelting down the street after Seungkwan as he ran in the direction for Hansol’s study centre.

“Where are you? I’m coming, just- just sit tight and don’t get hurt.” Seungcheol rushed, the sound of a door slamming in the background and Jeonghan nodded.

“The study centre, outside Hansol’s institute.” Jeonghan replied, breath getting caught in his throat for a moment as he saw Seungkwan slip to his knees, falling hard on the asphalt and trying his best to recover, get back up and keep running.

“Watch out for Seungkwan.” Seungcheol spoke before hanging up. It was as if he could read the situation, see what was happening. Jeonghan slipped his phone into his coat pocket, sprinting after Seungkwan and hauling him to his feet, drying his tears and trying to stop him from running.

“Kwan-ah! Listen to me, you can’t keep running like this-” Jeonghan said harshly, looking down and noticing the unnatural position his ankle was in. He winced.

“No! Hyung, there- he could already be dead- you’re slowing me down!” Seungkwan screeched, eyes filling with another bout of tears. He tore away from Jeonghan’s grip, stumbling away and running down the street towards Hansol’s location. They were still far from it and Jeonghan was worrying even more so now.

“Seungkwan! Get in the car, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol’s voice came from behind them, stern and dark, a little gritty as he spoke and Seungkwan was whipping around, Jeonghan running to catch him as he shifted his weight, losing his balance.

“How did you get here so-” _quick_ , Jeonghan had wanted to say _quick_ , but Seungcheol was staring at him darkly, eyes murderous and Jeonghan was rushing the two of them to the car, piling Seungkwan into the back seat and propping his leg up on the console before jumping into the front seat, unthinkingly. Seungcheol was pulling away at an alarming speed, Jeonghan’s head hitting the headrest as he caught his breath. He looked over at Seungcheol, he looked different.

“Seungkwan, when did he call?” He asked, voice cold and blunt and Seungkwan was choking on a breath before he could respond.

“M-maybe 10 minutes ago, but he only hung up about 5 minutes ago.” Seungkwan tried to explain, but his mind was fuzzing over again, fogging his thoughts and making him feel a little dizzy. He felt his head hit the back of the seat, vision turning to black.

“Oh, fucking hell.” Jeonghan groaned, reaching back between the seats as he noticed Seungkwan slip into unconsciousness, “You couldn’t stay conscious for five more fucking minutes.” Jeonghan mumbled, reaching for Seungkwan’s head and propping it on the back seat, moving his legs so he was laying down. Seungcheol was silent, motionless beside him as he pulled the steering wheel sharply, turning off down another street.

“Stay with him, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol mumbled, undoing his seatbelt and running around to the trunk of the car, but Jeonghan was getting out, running after him.

“No, wait- he’s my friend. I can handle this.” He spoke coldly, eyes flicking down to the baseball bat in Seungcheol’s hand. Seungcheol crossed back towards him, eyes dark and voice low. He rested a hand on Jeonghan’s shoulder, his grip a little tight,

“Jeonghan, do as I say or you’re both going to end up getting hurt.” Seungcheol spoke and the tone of his voice had Jeonghan nodding reluctantly and retreating to the car. He would’ve normally fought, told Seungcheol that he was a man too, that he could protect himself and his friends, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Watching as Seungcheol sprinted to the back of the building, eyes darting and shifting as he chose his next move carefully, Jeonghan got back in the car, looking back down at Seungkwan in worry.

 

This much, Seungcheol was used to. The constant idea that holding a close friend or family member hostage always seemed to be the first trick in the book when they found the people they were looking for. He reached the parking lot, jumping the fence and running across the field, staying concealed in the shadows and listening for anything irregular. It was a moment before he heard a voice.

“... now he’s-” A muffled voice, scrambled sentences. That’d be it. The irregularity. Seungcheol followed the voice, baseball bat tight in his fist as he rounded the corner to the stock shed. It smelt of mulch and rubber and something unidentifiable. Three bodies finally came into view, just behind an outdoor classroom building. Hansol, that was for certain and two other figures, one in a balaclava and the other in a face mask and snapback.

“I don’t care about that. What did he tell you about Osaka?” The man in the balaclava spoke and Seungcheol noticed a blade in his hand, Hansol backing up against the wall, jaw tight as he bit his lip.

“I don’t know anything about-” Hansol began, but the man was jolting forward, stabbing his knife deep into Hansol’s stomach and pulling it back again scoffing as he heard the stuttered cough that caught in Hansol’s throat. Seungcheol was on them both in a moment, swinging the bat down into the man’s knees, delighting at the satisfying crack and stepping between Hansol and the second man before he could take him and leave. That was when Seungcheol realised something he hadn’t noticed before. A gun. In plain sight. He knew they wouldn’t hesitate to kill the both of them, that was the plan all along, not for Hansol, but for him and Jeonghan. He could give in, give them the satisfaction of killing off fifty-percent of their allocated mission, but then all this running would be for nothing. And Jeonghan. What about Jeonghan, with his warm eyes and soft skin and his beautiful hair. He wasn’t ready to let that go. Hansol tensed behind him as the man in the mask raised the gun and, for once, Seungcheol didn’t have a plan. They didn’t usually bring guns, they usually brought knives and blades or bats and tasers, never more. They were meant to take Seungcheol back to the ‘boss’- was how they’d referred to him- and that was all Seungcheol knew, but in this moment, he knew he’d never have the pleasure of meeting the ‘boss’.

“Fucking bastard.” Seungcheol looked up at the voice, startled from his thoughts as he watched the man with the gun falling to the floor, Jeonghan in his place with a cinderblock in hand.

“What the fuck? Jesus, Jeonghan, what did I tell you about-” Seungcheol began, stepping forward over the man’s unconscious body, momentarily forgetting about Hansol.

“You’re welcome, asshole.” Jeonghan replied bluntly, pushing past him as Hansol slid down the wall, red seeping through his fingertips, “You let this happen? You fucking let him get hurt?” Jeonghan yelled, turning around to kick the man in the balaclava in the head as he squirmed to reach for the gun.

“ _I’m sorry,_ I wasn’t being a little pussy and hiding in the car-” Seungcheol grit out, running a hand through his hair and swinging the bat down again into the man’s opposite knee.

“Being a little pussy? Sounds familiar, Seungcheol. I can’t believe you, I can’t believe you let him get hurt. Jesus christ, you can’t do anything right.” Jeonghan yelled sharply back at him, nodding for him to take Hansol’s other shoulder, half carrying him back off the school grounds, “And besides, you _told_ me to stay with Seungkwan!”

“ _I_ can’t do anything right? Who was the one who let Seungkwan break his ankle?” Seungcheol yelled in return, Hansol drifting in and out of consciousness, but suddenly perking up at this sentence.

“Seu- is he o-kay?” Hansol asked, voice laced with worry as he tried his best to move his legs, abdomen flexing under Jeonghan’s hand as he tried to stop the bleeding.

“He’s fine, Hansol,” Jeonghan replied sharply, turning back to Seungcheol as they reached the fence, “Seungcheol is just failing to realise the difference between a fractured ankle-”

“ _Broken_ ankle.” Seungcheol cut in, Jeonghan shooting him a look.

“And an _entire-fucking-stab-wound_.” He finished, watching Seungcheol scoff, helping Hansol over the fence, fingers brushing as they exchanged places so he’d be the one to cover the wound.

“Do you know what, I should just leave you three here. I owe you nothing, you don’t deserve my help. I tried to tell you what was happening, tried to warn you about this, but you were too _pathetic_ to admit the truth-” Seungcheol shot back and Jeonghan was darting in front of Hansol, punching Seungcheol in the gut before he could finish. He keeled over, coughing at the unexpectedness of it all and almost dropping Hansol.

“You don’t know anything about me, you son of a bitch.” Jeonghan drew back, straightening up again and taking a little more of Hansol’s weight on, “You got us in this mess, the least you can do is take us to a hospital. I never should’ve trusted you.” He grit out, nearing the car and taking Hansol into his arms before Seungcheol opened the car door, lifting Seungkwan into a sitting position. Jeonghan took Hansol, crawling in after him and trying his best to keep him conscious and stop the bleeding.

“‘The least I can do’?” Seungcheol put in air-quotes, scoffing and rolling his eyes as he crossed to get into the driver’s seat, “This wasn’t my doing. When will you get that through your head? I didn’t get you in this mess, if anything I was the one to warn you of it all.” He added, flicking his eyes up into the rearview mirror and eyeing Jeonghan as he crouched in the footwell of Hansol’s seat, putting pressure on the wound and trying his best to keep Hansol’s eyes open.

“Well, the first time I met you, I was basically guided into a trap. You lied from the start-” Jeonghan began listing all of his mistakes as of yet, but Seungcheol was yelling back, foot pressing on the accelerator.

“No, I never lied! I haven’t lied to you for a moment! I- honest to God- didn’t know it was you that night. I just needed to survive. They had weapons and I had nothing, I wasn’t ready to die without meeting you. I didn’t know it was even you that night, Jeonghan!” He was breathing heavily now, swallowing dryly as he watched Jeonghan freeze in the reflection of the mirror.

“W-what?” Jeonghan stuttered out. He didn’t know where to start with the questions, “What do you mean, 'you didn’t realise it was me'?” That was at least a start.

“Jeonghan, I’ve been looking for you for a year now. I know you don’t believe a word I said about our families in Osaka, but-but it’s true. You were there too, we met.” Seungcheol rasped. His voice was getting hoarse now, tired from yelling and arguing, but he wasn’t giving up with Jeonghan not believing him, he wouldn’t.

“Stop! Stop it already!” Jeonghan yelled back, Seungkwan flinching at the noise in his unconscious state.

“No, Jeonghan, I won’t stop! It’s true. Every word of what I’m saying is true and if you are so hell-bent on getting yourself killed then I’ll let you carry on living your life, not speak another word of this, but I’m trying to protect you!” Seungcheol yelled back, veering into the Hospital car park and calling assistance to meet them at his car. Jeonghan grit his teeth.

“Why are you being like this? Of course I don’t want to die, but I also don't want you messing with something I've tried so hard to put out of my mind. This is the one thing I’ve kept out of my life and I’m doing fine so far, so why are you bringing it back? Why are you here to pull up the darkest parts of me? What do you want from me, Seungcheol?” Jeonghan practically screamed, Seungcheol pulling into park as the paramedics rushed towards them with stretchers, lifting the two boys onto them with ease and wheeling them both away quickly. Seungcheol and Jeonghan were left in the parking lot, alone.

“All I want is for you to trust me, Jeonghan. That’s it.” Seungcheol spoke, his voice settling to a quieter tone now, a shocking contrast to their previous conversation.

“How can I trust a perfect stranger? How do you think this is acceptable?” Jeonghan yelled, ignoring the fact that Seungcheol was trying to dilute the argument, let it simmer to something a little quieter, something that didn’t draw so much attention.

“Jeonghan, just listen to me,” Seungcheol said quietly, reaching for him, hands falling short, but continuing anyway, “A striped t-shirt, bloody hands and blonde hair. You really don’t remember?” Jeonghan shook his head and Seungcheol couldn’t tell if he was denying the memory or actually couldn’t remember. He tried again, pressing on and gripping Jeonghan’s arms this time, “The police station with the clock tower and the dark-skinned man who spoke in broken Korean.” Jeonghan was shaking his head viciously now, trying to pull away weakly, but tears were blurring his vision, “The smell of coffee and damp in the interrogation room and the way our legs didn’t reach the ground when we sat side-by-side on those chairs. Do you remember?” He knew he remembered now. He could see how horrible it was to remember, but Jeonghan was getting it now, “The sound of the printer getting stuck on one sheet and the inky finger prints that were left on the form that the policeman asked us both to sign. We didn’t understand, but you still managed to scribble your name in Korean, you told me to do the same and not to cry.” Jeonghan was sobbing now, sniffing as Seungcheol pulled him into his arms, letting him collapse into his chest and grip onto his jacket like a safety net, “And the way you smiled softly when my fingers came away covered in ink. You said that I shouldn’t touch my eyes with ink on my fingers, but I forgot and you giggled when I smeared it across my face.” He paused again, letting Jeonghan press his face into his neck, sobbing a little harder as Seungcheol stroked his hair now, “The way you asked when we were allowed to see our families because you wanted to introduce me to your sister, you said she had a beautiful voice and that I should hear it,” He paused again, feeling Jeonghan’s body convulse at the memory, “A woman with long, dark hair took us to a side room with two other policemen and she told us that our families had been involved in an accident. She said we wouldn’t be able to see them again and you held my hand under the table when I started crying again.” Jeonghan didn’t think he could cry any harder, yet here he was, sobbing into Seungcheol’s neck, every part of his soul feeling weak as he was reminded of that day.

“You said that your brother wouldn’t know how to get to heaven without your help.” Jeonghan stuttered out, finally speaking up as Seungcheol ran his hands through his long hair, massaging his back and letting him shift into a more comfortable position.

“That’s right,” He whispered into his hair, pressing a soft kiss to his hair and cupping the nape of his neck, crying a little himself as Jeonghan spoke, “That’s right, Jeonghannie.”

“You told me that your grandparents would take care of you and I tried not to get upset, because they were handing me to a Japanese family for the night and I didn’t have anyone.” Jeonghan spoke shakily, sobs evening out to a steady cry now.

“Yes, and I told you that you’d always have me as your friend.” Seungcheol whispered and yes, Jeonghan remembered it now. He remembered everything. The moment of the accident and how he’d stormed off because his parents were showing more interest in his sister than they were in him. He’d left the shopping mall in anger, stomping his little feet and grumbling, only to quickly get distracted by a pretzel stand. He remembered the woman who took him to the police station after the first gunshot fired, the confusion and fear that mixed between the people around him and how upset he’d been when no one could understand what he was saying.

“Y-you found me.” Jeonghan spoke quietly, his tears stopping now, but he wasn’t letting go of Seungcheol, not leaving his arms for even a moment. Seungcheol smiled sadly,

“Yes, Hannie, I found you.” Seungcheol responded and Jeonghan had a vivid flashback of a boy his age, dark hair unruly on top of his head, saying that same name. He hadn’t changed that much.

“I-I missed you, Cheollie.” Jeonghan rasped, Seungcheol hugging him tighter and pressing a kiss to the shell of his ear through the curtain of his hair.

“I missed you too, Hannie.”

 

They were worried, really they were. As a best-friend-duty, Jeonghan had to be worried, but on arriving in the hospital to check up on Hansol and Seungkwan, he couldn’t help but be a little distracted. He approached the register, asking for their updates as Seungcheol sat in the waiting room, staring after him. It wasn’t a surprise that Hansol needed stitches and Seungkwan a cast, however, it was a surprise that the stab wound had missed any vital organs, a miracle in fact. Jeonghan was smiling softly when he told Seungcheol, sitting beside him in the reception until they heard anything more for the two of them. Seungcheol’s heart dropped a little when he saw Jeonghan look at him like that. It felt like a long time since he’d seen anything remotely similar to this expression on him.

“Hannie, you can say no, because it is a big thing and I understand, but I need to ask you something.” Seungcheol spoke quietly and Jeonghan nodded for him to continue, “D-did you want to stay at my place for a while? Only so we can be with each other if someone comes. I’ll give you your own room and everything, you won’t even have to pay rent or bills, they’re all covered for. I just- I’m worried, okay? They came for Hansol, which means you’re next and I don’t want you getting hurt.” Seungcheol explained, cheeks stained a faint pink and Jeonghan noticed how he didn’t meet his eyes.

“Give me some time and I’ll let you know.” He responded quietly and Seungcheol was looking up at him in surprise.

“R-really?” Seungcheol asked, eyes wide in shock.

“Well, yes, it’s not a bad idea. I just don’t know if right now is the best time to do this, as it was Hansol they came after, not me.” Jeonghan said, pushing his hands deeper into his coat pockets and slouching down in his seat, eyes heavy.

“Oh, I-I thought you’d say no.” Seungcheol answered, sliding down beside him and letting Jeonghan lean his head against his shoulder, “Are you tired?” He added, tangling his fingers into Jeonghan’s hair, massaging his scalp slowly.

“Mh, yeah.” Jeonghan replied, moaning softly as Seungcheol worked his fingers in his scalp, relaxing him enough to fall asleep. He couldn’t help but be reminded of the same noises Jeonghan was making in a very different situation and was quick to turn his brain to something more innocent.

“Sleep, I can wait for their results.” Seungcheol said quietly, pulling him in by the waist so he could get comfortable, settling down in the hard, plastic seats. Jeonghan hummed in response, lips brushing Seungcheol’s collarbone as he shifted and- oh- how he hated how much he wanted to kiss him there.

 

Seungcheol shifted, gently moving Jeonghan’s head so he lay in his lap, the doctor sitting beside them with Seungkwan opposite, eyes dreary and slightly drugged up.

“He’ll be fine, give it six weeks and he’ll be as right as rain. As long as he has someone to help him out on the daily.” She spoke, Seungkwan smiling gratefully at her before she continued, “Mr Chwe, is a different matter, though. As we said, the wound wasn’t too deep but on stitching it up, our doctors found it to be infected. It’s not serious but we will need to keep him in for the night. Is there someone you can call to take Mr Boo home? He needs a fair bit of rest before he gets back to class.” She explained, Seungcheol nodding and tangling his fingers in Jeonghan’s hair. It was soothing and in all honesty he didn’t know who to call in this situation. The doctor left a moment later, smiling and signing Seungkwan off before she left.

“We can call Jisoo-Hyung. If it’s for Jeonghan he’ll do it.” Seungkwan said quietly and Seungcheol hated this. Hated seeing him so sad, he’d lost every sliver of energy, every ounce of happiness in his eyes.

“‘Kwan, do you want to go home yet?” Seungcheol asked softly, watching him carefully. He could see how he was trying not to cry.

“I want to see Hansol.” Seungkwan sniffed and Seungcheol was nodding, moving Jeonghan’s head off his lap and placing his sweater under his head before he strolled up to the reception desk.

“Is there any chance we can see Chwe Hansol? Just for the peace of mind of his boyfriend, that’s all.” Seungcheol asked softly. He was tired. They all were and if the receptionist were to decline him this, he may actually start crying.

“Mr Chwe is still in remission so we can’t allow any visitors at the moment-” the receptionist began, but Seungcheol was losing his will to live. He cut her off, voice shaky,

“ _Please_ ,” It wasn’t meant to come out like such a beg, but here he was with those big, mournful eyes and no one could say no to him. She reached for the telephone, nodding in silent understanding.

“He can have five minutes.” She finally replied after a brief explanation of what Seungcheol assumed was a lie.

“Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.” He rushed, eyes shining and in that moment he realised how truly gone he was for Jeonghan. He never did anything for anyone, yet here he was begging a receptionist to let one of Jeonghan’s friends see his boyfriend. It wasn’t even Jeonghan he was doing this for. He made his way back towards the two in the waiting room, just as a nurse appeared to take Seungkwan to Hansol’s room. He mouthed his thanks, smiling softly. Seungcheol sat back down, a seat away from where he was sat before, eyes trained on Jeonghan’s peaceful form. He really did look like an angel like this.

“Hannie, I know it’s late but you need to wake up.” Seungcheol mumbled, shaking Jeonghan’s shoulder gently, tilting his head to watch him come to consciousness. He smiled softly. He really was too far gone.

“Hm, Cheol-ah? Is Seungkwan still not back?” He asked, disorientated as he tried to sit up, shuffling closer to Seungcheol as he did so.

“No, he’s back, he’s been signed off for now, he just wanted to see Hansol.” He paused, letting Jeonghan curl into his arms, smiling to himself at the clinginess, “Seungkwan said to call Jisoo- I think that was the name- to drive him home. Hansol has to stay in overnight, but I can stay here if you want to go home.” He finished, untangling Jeonghan’s knotty hair with his fingers.

“I want to stay with you.” Jeonghan replied, pulling his phone from his pocket and scrolling to Jisoo’s contact. He’d be surprised if he picked up at 2 am, but the phone was being answered on the 3rd tone.

“Mh, what, what do you want?” Jisoo’s voice came through groggy and rasped and Jeonghan couldn’t help but chuckle into Seungcheol’s chest.

“Good morning to you too, angel. Now, I need your help.” Jeonghan replied, holding the phone lightly between his fingers.

“What is it? Can it wait? I have someone over, it’s 2am.” Jisoo mumbled and Jeonghan could hear his bathroom light clicking on in the background.

“Firstly, ew, I don’t want to know. Secondly, it can’t wait and thirdly, I need you to come and take Seungkwan home from the hospital. Seungcheol and I are staying here with Hansol for the night.” Jeonghan explained, absentmindedly linking his and Seungcheol’s fingers whilst he concentrated on Jisoo’s reaction. It was a long sigh.

“What happened? Actually, I don’t want to know. Just tell me it’s not an STD or something- wait, no- I don’t want to know.” Jisoo contradicted and Jeonghan was huffing a breath, shaking his head in exasperation.

“No, Jisoo, it is not an STD. Look, can you come and get him and stay the night, or not? Just kick your one night stand out, it’ll be fine, you never see them again anyway.” Jeonghan began and Seungcheol was staring at him with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah, about that,” he paused chewing his fingernails a moment, “you can be the one to tell Jihoon why I’m waking him up at 2am.” He said quickly and Jeonghan was frowning, brain too muddled and tired to comprehend what he was getting at.

“Why would I need to tell Jihoon- oh- _oh God_ , I’m sorry.” He suddenly caught up and Jihoon really was going to murder him. Maybe before the others could get to him. Oh God.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Jisoo said smugly and Jeonghan couldn’t tell whether it was from his pride of finally fucking Jihoon or that Jeonghan was- for once- wrong. Jisoo did manage to bag the boy he’d been eyeing for months now, “I’ll be there in 10 minutes. Jihoon and I call dibs on your bed.” He shot out before hanging up, leaving Jeonghan rambling in disgust.

“No, please, not my bed, anything but my bed! Jisoo? Jisoo-” Jeonghan begged, rolling his eyes as he pulled his phone away from his ear, staring at the recent calls screen in disgust as if it had been the one to violate his bed.

“You and this _Jisoo_ seem close.” Seungcheol finally spoke up, smirking at the little he’d picked up from the conversation. Jeonghan clicked his phone off, snuggling further into Seungcheol’s chest, revelling in the warmth and smiling softly when he felt Seungcheol wrap his arms around his torso, the tiniest bit tighter.

“Mh, we grew up together. There was a point that his parents even considered adopting me.” Jeonghan smiled at the memory, tucking his hair behind his ear and looking up at Seungcheol.

“That’s cute.” Seungcheol spoke quietly, eyes void of their warmth for now, “I never really had a friend like that.” He added and Jeonghan cocked his head in confusion.

“What, never? Not one close friend?” Jeonghan questioned. He couldn’t imagine it.

“People didn’t really like me when I moved to Korea. They thought I was more of a foreigner and that my Japanese accent was too strong.” He paused, deep in thought now, “In all honesty, I think that you were my closest friend and we spent maybe 12 hours together, it’s lame really.” Seungcheol added, embarrassed at the thought of it. Jeonghan watched as he dropped his gaze, squirming a little under Jeonghan’s inquisitive eyes.

“But you never made any close friends? Not even in middle school?” Jeonghan pressed, confused now. There was no way he could have been a complete outcast, there was no way that Jeonghan even had him placed as anywhere under the level of ‘popular’.

“No, people only really started to like me in recent years. I have a few friends now, but all of them I can count on one hand.” He replied, a little more relaxed now. Jeonghan didn’t mean this to be judgemental, he was simply curious, “I was never very good at making friends.” He smirked and Jeonghan was surprised.

“I never had you down as someone like that.” Jeonghan responded, cringing at his words, “I mean, I thought you’d be the popular type.” He tried to explain but Seungcheol was giggling, shaking his head.

“I’ve never been popular, that’d be a miracle.” Seungcheol responded with a light laugh and Jeonghan was confused.

“You were so quick to become friends with Hansol and Seungkwan, though.” Jeonghan added, thinking about how quickly Seungcheol had arrived the minute Seungkwan had said that Hansol was in trouble.

“Yes, well, they both sort of remind me of what I remember my brother to have been like.” Seungcheol explained and this time he didn’t seem sad when he spoke about him. He seemed almost nostalgic.

“You’re lucky you remember your family.” Jeonghan said quietly, he thought about it and suddenly realised, that he didn’t even have a photo of his family. Their faces had faded from his memory long ago and the soft lull of his sister’s voice was barely audible in the back of his mind now.

“Sometimes I wish I didn’t remember them. It’s harder knowing that I never go to seem them all grow up with me.” Seungcheol responded, linking his fingers with Jeonghan in front of them both.

“That’s why I just pushed their memories out. It was easier.” Jeonghan said quietly and Seungcheol nodded, suddenly looking up as two boys entered the reception, both looking around with tired eyes, “Are those your friends?” He asked, sitting up and helping Jeonghan straighten in his seat.

“That’ll be them.” Jeonghan sighed, almost wanting the conversation to continue a little longer, but smiling up at Jisoo and Jihoon who were now walking towards them.

“I’m going to ruin your life, Jeonghan.” Jihoon said quietly, rubbing his eyes with curled fists. Jisoo snorted, guiding Jihoon closer with his hand on his lower back.

“I don’t doubt that for even a minute, Jihoon.” Jeonghan winked.  
Seungkwan appeared behind them with the nurse and Jeonghan smiled up at him, standing from his seat and hugging him into his chest.

“He’s okay, He’s going to be fine.” Seungkwan quickly muttered about Hansol’s condition. Jeonghan nodded, sighing in relief as he registered Seungkwan’s words.

“Thank God,” Jeonghan mumbled, pulling back and keeping a protective arm around Seungkwan’s waist, “Jisoo and Jihoon are going to stay the night with you and Seungcheol and I will wait here until we can bring Hansol home.” He continued explaining, Seungcheol standing now to ruffle Seungkwan’s hair with a soft smile.

“I’m glad you’re both okay,” He said quietly, looking at Seungkwan affectionately. Jisoo stepped forward, frowning a little as he did so.

“I’m really sorry to ruin the moment, but what the fuck happened. I’ve been putting off asking for this long, but you pulled me and Jihoon out of bed and the least I want is an explanation.” He asked, Jihoon standing beside him, looking like he might actually fall asleep standing up as he pressed his face into the collar of his jacket, letting it cover his nose and mouth. Seungcheol exchanged a glance with Jeonghan,

“Just- it’s a long story, but there was an accident and Hansol got stabbed-” Jeonghan began, stuttering over his words and not really knowing where to start.

“I’m sorry, what the fuck did you just say?” It was Jihoon now, suddenly perking up at Jeonghan’s explanation, “Hansol got what now?”

“He got stabbed, he’s okay, it’s just infected a bit so they want to keep him in tonight.” Seungcheol explained and Jisoo was turning to him in confusion, frowning as he looked between Jeonghan and Seungcheol,

“And who the fuck is this?” He finally asked, pointing to Seungcheol and directing the question at Jeonghan. He giggled,

“Seungcheol, you know, the 'infamous Seungcheol' as you like to call him.” Jeonghan replied, pulling him in by the elbow as he smirked.

“Sorry, I didn’t really introduce myself.” Seungcheol added and Jisoo’s eyes were wide now, mouth agape as he stared Seungcheol down.

“Seungcheol? Jesus,” Jisoo muttered in shock, eyebrows at his hairline, “You really weren’t lying when you said he was beautiful.” Jisoo added, eyeing him from head to toe before Jeonghan could slap a hand over his mouth.

“Shut up, that’s enough, Jisoo.” Jeonghan said embarrassedly, “Jihoon, help me out here?” He begged, flashing Seungcheol a look as he watched on in amusement.

“No, for once I actually agree with him. You’re punching above your weight, he is a _snack_.” Jihoon mumbled, cocking his head to eye him as well.

“Jihoon! He can hear you, he isn’t a piece of artwork, he is literally right here.” Jeonghan exclaimed, pushing them both towards the door, Seungkwan stumbling behind with Seungcheol’s support, giggling in amusement.

“No, he’s definitely artwork. Have you seen him, Jeonghan?” Jisoo asked, looking over his shoulder to eye Seungcheol again with sparkling eyes.

“He’s right.” Jihoon agreed, winking over his shoulder at Seungcheol who was blushing now, dropping his face as he guided Seungkwan out the double doors, “No offence, Jisoo, but I would let him do me.” Jihoon added, louder than necessary and Seungkwan was keeling over with laughter.

“None taken, I’d do him, if I’m honest.” Jisoo added, ignoring Jeonghan’s useless rambles of how they were both going to end up dead if they didn’t shut their mouths, “That is a man I would fuck well.” He added and Seungcheol was choking now, eyebrows raised in amusement and surprise.

“Oh my God, shut up!” Jeonghan yelled, shoving them towards Jisoo’s car and pushing them in the driver and passenger seat,

“Stop talking, _please_ , it’s all I ask.”

“You were the one who called us out at 2 in the fucking morning, the least you can do is let us have a good look at your man.” Jihoon grumbled, cocking his head to inspect Seungcheol’s ass as he bent to help Seungkwan into the backseat, “Yep, waking me at 2am was worth it, Jisoo, I approve.”

“Me too, I don’t regret a single moment.” Jisoo added, leaning forward to keep his eyes on Seungcheol as he let Seungkwan settle in the backseat, “Cheol-ah, are you sure you don’t want to come back with us?” He added and Jeonghan was sighing now.

“How are you both still horny, didn’t you literally _just_ fuck?” Jeonghan questioned, not wanting to know the answer, but also wanting them to talk about anything other than having sex with Seungcheol.

“Yeah, it was great, but I’m here for a good time, not a long time.” Jihoon replied shrugging and not even sparing Jeonghan a glance. Jisoo nodded along and Seungkwan was groaning in the backseat.

“Please don’t leave me with them, Jesus christ.” Seungkwan whined, staring up at Seungcheol with pleading eyes, he was giggling in response, “We should’ve just called Minghao or Jun, they would’ve been so much more normal.” He added, throwing his head back in annoyance.

“Oh my God, just go.” Jeonghan whined, Seungcheol pulling him in by the waist and thanking the both of them for taking Seungkwan before they headed back to the waiting room. As soon as Jeonghan knew he was out of the parking lot’s line of vision, he groaned, throwing his head back in embarrassment. Seungcheol was laughing, pulling him down to sit beside him.

“Well, it was nice to meet your friends.” Seungcheol said in amusement, pulling Jeonghan’s hands away from his face as he tried to coax him out of humiliation.

“I cannot believe that just happened.” He grumbled, giving in and leaning back in his seat, “How did I think it was a good idea to call Jisoo, Seungkwan was right, I should’ve called Minghao or Jun.” Jeonghan went on, getting up and deciding that he’d get them both coffee. Seungcheol smirked, watching as he retreated down the corridor to get to a vending machine, God knows how he needed it.

 

Punching the numbers was the easy part, the hard part was the voice that suddenly sounded behind him.

“Kim Jeonghan, on your own, at last. What did our Seungcheol tell you about us?” Jeonghan whipped around, coming face-to-face with a man in a long trench coat, a face mask covering his mouth and nose and a baseball hat shadowing his face. He wasn’t scared, Jeonghan didn’t have the energy to be scared.

“Not a lot,” He replied, leaning back against the coffee machine leisurely as it poured hot milk into the cup below, “Can I help with anything else?” He sassed and the man was lunging forward, pinning Jeonghan against the machine and gripping his throat in the dark corridor.

“Don’t be smart, Jeonghan. We will always have the upperhand, just remember that much.” He leant forward, Jeonghan’s head hitting the glass behind him as his throat constricted, “We have information that will ruin your short life before it’s ended. Watch out for your Seungcheol-ah.” Jeonghan snapped out of his reverie now, forcefully twisting the forearm that grasped his throat and kicking the man right between his ribs, watching for a moment as he stumbled back, heaving. All his mind was thinking about was Seungcheol, he needed to get back to the waiting room. He sprinted down the corridor, sliding on the linoleum as he raced back towards the waiting room, eyes falling on the seat that Seungcheol had occupied less than 2 minutes ago. He began hyperventilating, breaths coming short and stuttered and all he could think was 'no, this is not the time to be having a panic attack, not after four years, not now'.

“Jeonghannie?” The voice came from his left and there Seungcheol was in all his glory, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Jeonghan in worry, “What is it? Baby, it’s okay, just breathe with me.” He mumbled, guiding Jeonghan outside for a moment and flashing a look over his shoulder to try and figure out what had caused this. He sat them both down on the asphalt, a few metres from the entrance.

“I- you-” Jeonghan stuttered out, head swimming as he choked over his breath, Seungcheol shushing his and running his hands up and down his biceps soothingly.

“You’re alright, I’m here, I’ve got you.” Seungcheol replied, running his hands up to Jeonghan’s face, cradling his jaw and massaging his cheekbones with his thumbs. Jeonghan was still hyperventilating, his knees drawn to his chest as his eyes fell shut for a moment, trying his best to calm himself down. It was a long time before Jeonghan’s breathing returned to normal and when it finally did, Seungcheol was surprised to find himself looking at the peak of a sunrise.

“I’m sorry.” Jeonghan finally got out, running a hand over his face and sniffing tiredly.

“Why are you sorry?” Seungcheol mumbled, holding his hands in his to try and keep them warm in the winter's morning weather.

“Because of this.” Jeonghan waved his hands around him before putting them back in his lap to link with Seungcheol’s.

“You don’t need to apologise,” He replied quietly, watching Jeonghan’s expression carefully, “In all honesty, I’m not surprised. It’s been a long night and you can’t keep looking after everyone around you, it takes its toll on your body, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol smiled softly, leaning forward to kiss Jeonghan’s forehead, pushing his long hair back from his face.

“A man met me at the vending machine. I thought- thought he’d taken you or hurt you while I was gone.” Jeonghan tried to explain and Seungcheol was sighing, turning his head in annoyance as he processed the information.

“Did he hurt you?” Seungcheol asked urgently, scanning Jeonghan’s face and body, eyes searching every available bit of skin for a bruise or cut.

“No, I’m fine, really.” Jeonghan responded, but Seungcheol’s eyes were falling on his neck, purple finger marks, matching Hansol’s when they’d found him. He leant forward, fingers tracing the bruised skin around his windpipe.

“I’m going to fucking kill him.” Seungcheol grit out, turning his face again so Jeonghan wouldn’t have to see him so angry. Jeonghan smiled weakly, reaching up for Seungcheol’s wrist that traced the skin of his neck, “Are you okay now? Tell me the truth.” He said again, voice softer this time. Jeonghan breathed slowly, interlocking their fingers so Seungcheol was no longer distracted by the darkened colour on his neck,

“I’ll be fine, honestly. I’m just tired right now.” Jeonghan spoke resting his hand atop Seungcheol’s other as he cradled his face. Seungcheol nodded in silence, reaching a hand out for Jeonghan to stand, helping him up on unstable legs.

“You can sleep again when we get inside, you’ll catch a cold if you stay out here any longer.” Seungcheol said quietly, looping an arm around Jeonghan’s waist and guiding him back into the hospital reception, settling them both in seats in the corner of the room, Jeonghan’s head in Seungcheol’s lap.

 

“Mr Chwe can now be seen if either of you want to speak to him? We’ll be signing him off this afternoon.” The doctor spoke smoothly, like it was rehearsed and Seungcheol nodded, thanking her and shaking Jeonghan awake. It was 10 am, Jeonghan had slept a while now, unknowing that Seungcheol hadn’t so much as closed his eyes.

“Hannie, we can see Hansol. Baby?” He mumbled, the doctor waiting a moment so she could lead them to Hansol’s room. She looked away as if uncomfortable at the interaction and pet-name. Jeonghan awoke, kicking his legs out and blinking rapidly as he sat up.

“We can see Hansol?” Jeonghan asked, half-awake and dizzy as he sat up too quickly. It probably also had something to do with the fact that he hadn’t eaten for almost four days now.

“Follow me.” The doctor nodded, leading them down corridors through to a ward that needed two access passes to get to. Jeonghan frowned a little, wondering why, but brushing it off after a moment, because Hansol was there in bed, sitting up and smiling softly at them both. Jeonghan quickened his pace,

“Hansol-ah! Oh, thank God you look okay, how much medication did they put you on?” Jeonghan jested, engulfing him in his arms as he came to sit on his bed, Hansol momentarily winced and Jeonghan was pulling away quickly, apologising and shuffling back.

“No, it’s okay, Hyung, I just moved too quickly. I feel a lot better than when you two were having it out at the institute.” Hansol responded, shifting so Jeonghan could sit beside him on the bed, Seungcheol shuffling to sit at the end of the bed with Jeonghan’s long legs in his lap.

“Yeah, sorry about that, Hansol. You were supposed to be our first priority and we were arguing, it wasn’t fair on you.” Seungcheol added, staring at Hansol sympathetically, Jeonghan nodding along.

“Oh come on, you sound like my parents!” Hansol giggled, clutching his abdomen when he strained it a little too much. Jeonghan shot him a wary glance and Seungcheol was leaning forward in concern, “Really, I’m fine. God, you two really are like my parents.” Hansol added, shaking his head with a soft smile.

“Well, your parents are so far away, so you have to have someone baby you whilst you’re in Korea.” Jeonghan shrugged, ruffling Hansol’s hair and smiling softly. Seungcheol sighed a moment and they both turned to him as he spoke,

“Hansol, I-I’m sorry.” He mumbled, pausing to fiddle with a ring on his finger. He looked up again, “I’m really sorry I got you into all this and I will do everything in my power to protect you from now on.” His voice was quieter now and Jeonghan knew he was being sincere. Hansol smiled,

“You don’t need to apologise. In the long run I will always put Jeonghan-Hyung before myself, he’s been through enough, you both have. I’d rather take a stab wound than lose Jeonghan-Hyung and It’s starting to feel the same with you as well, Hyung.” He explained and Jeonghan was wrapping his arms around his shoulders pressing his face into his hospital gown.

“I’d rather you didn’t take a stab wound for me, but the sentiment was nice.” Jeonghan said, hugging Hansol into his chest again.

“Yeah, hospital gowns aren’t really your colour.” Seungcheol added, light-hearted after Hansol’s words. He giggled in response and the nurse was making towards them, ushering the both of them out so she could change Hansol’s dressing.They left quickly, deciding to head home to get Hansol a clean pair of clothes before coming to collect him once he was signed off.


	4. Chapter 4

Jihoon was running around the kitchen, swatting at Jisoo’s hands as he insisted on ‘helping’.

“Jisoo, if I have to ask you to go and sit down one more time, you’ll be the next person with a broken ankle.” Jihoon snapped, turning to him as he finished dicing an onion.

“Fine, fine, I’m going.” Jisoo finally surrendered, dragging his feet to sit with Seungkwan. He looked up in disgust, shifting his body to get comfortable as Jisoo collapsed beside him.

“What, am I _that_ boring to hang out with? Is it _that_ much of a hardship to spend time with me, your _favourite_ dongsaeng?” Seungkwan asked, scrunching his nose brattily. Just as Jisoo was about to respond with some equally sassy comment he’d been brewing, the front door clicked open, Jeonghan appearing in the doorway with Seungcheol at his heels, “Hyung!” Seungkwan exclaimed, craning his neck to look for Hansol and sighing when they closed the door without him in sight.

“Hey, Kwannie, how are you feeling?” Jeonghan called, standing over him and hugging him from behind as he sat on the couch.

“Better. Is Hansol not coming back?” He asked, worry etching his voice, as Seungcheol pulled a footstool from the other side of the room to sit where Seungkwan’s feet were propped up, pulling a marker pen from his jacket,

“We came to get him clean clothes, we can bring him home in a few hours, though.” Seungcheol explained, Jisoo not taking his eyes off him as he took his jacket off, revealing the inked sleeve that patterned his forearm.

“Jihoon! Come here a second.” Jisoo called as Jeonghan left to Seungkwan’s room to get Hansol's things. A grunt came in response and Seungkwan frowned at the smell of burning as Jihoon appeared in the doorway, eyebrows raised as he eyed Seungcheol, watching the muscles under his skin flex as he drew over Seungkwan’s cast, black shapes that bloomed into flowers and geometric patterns.

“That is so hot.” Jihoon mumbled under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest as he leant in the doorway, mouth watering.

“Isn’t something burning?” Seungkwan spoke up, jogging Seungcheol from his concentration and making Jihoon run back into the kitchen, Jisoo still shamelessly staring at Seungcheol.

“My fucking vegetables! Oh my God!” Jihoon yelped, the smell of charred food engulfing the living room now. Jeonghan appeared back in the hallway, scrunching his nose and throwing Hansol’s clothes onto the couch before he slid into the kitchen, rolling his eyes at Jihoon.

“Is this a Seungcheol-thing?” Jeonghan guessed, pushing Jihoon along the counter and taking the frying pan from his grip.

“Yeah- so as you’re already here, I’ll leave you to it.” Jihoon replied, making to leave the kitchen, but Jeonghan was gripping his wrist and spinning him back towards the stove.

“My noodles are sticking to the pan, Jihoon, aren’t you going to do something about that?” Jeonghan replied smoothly and Jihoon was grumbling, stamping his feet like a toddler as he half-heartedly began stirring the noodles from the bottom of the pan.

“But Jisoo doesn’t have to-” Jihoon began, but Jeonghan was calling over him.

“Joshua! Come and cut the pork.” He called over the sound of the sizzling vegetables in the pan. Jisoo responded with something that sounded a lot like ‘yeah in a minute’, but Jeonghan was turning the heat down, storming to the living room, “Jisoo, now.” He said harshly and Jisoo whined as he pulled himself off the couch, Seungcheol exchanging an amused look with Jeonghan as he left, rolling his eyes.

 

In Jeonghan salvaging their dinner, himself and Seungcheol decided to stay a while to eat with them all before collecting Hansol. Seungkwan had noticed how tired Seungcheol looked whilst he was drawing on his cast, trying not to bring it up, but he was getting worried.

“Hyung, when was the last time you slept?” Seungkwan finally asked, jolting Seungcheol out of his concentration as he began drawing up the inside of Seungkwan’s cast.

“Hm, oh, I’m okay. Really, I can sleep later.” He replied, smiling at Seungkwan softly as Jeonghan helped bring dishes through to the table.

“No, you look tired.” Jeonghan spoke, pausing as he came towards Seungcheol and Seungkwan on the couch, “I can go with Jisoo to pick Hansol up and you can take my bed if you want.” He added, momentarily wondering if Seungcheol actually just wanted to go home and sleep. Maybe he didn’t even want to be here.

“No, really, I’m okay.” Seungcheol said, stifling a yawn which only aided his losing battle. Jisoo appeared behind Jeonghan in the doorway,

“There’s no way we’re letting you drive like that. We can collect him, Cheol-ah. Go and get some rest.” Jisoo said decisively nodding his head towards Jeonghan’s room.

“Wait, just tell me you didn't fuck in my bed?” Jeonghan asked quickly and Jihoon was smirking as he entered the living room.

“Oh, I wish.” He said under his breath and Jisoo was kicking him, making Jihoon groan in exasperation, “See what I have to put up with?” He added, directing it at Seungcheol as if to say ‘Jeonghan is a queen compared to _this_ ’. Seungcheol finally sighed, giving in as Jeonghan guided him to his bedroom.

“It’s not really all that, but there’s clothes in my closet if you want to change and I’ll put a clean towel in the bathroom.” He spoke, suddenly embarrassed as he walked into his room, thinking back to Seungcheol’s studio apartment with the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city. Seungcheol smiled, turning around to face him with a soft smile, sensing the very unease that Jeonghan was trying to hide.

“It’s gorgeous, Jeonghan, there’s no need to say that it ‘isn’t all that’.” He smiled, eyeing the stack of library books on his desk and beside his bed. He really did work a lot.

“Well, it’s not exactly _your_ apartment.” Jeonghan retorted playfully, shrugging as he pulled a clean towel from the ensuite bathroom closet.

“That’s what I like about it- that it’s not my apartment.” Seungcheol said, following Jeonghan into the bathroom and taking the towel to place on the rail as he backed him up against the bathroom wall.

“It’s sort of embarrassing though, right?” Jeonghan tried again, tilting his head up to look at Seungcheol, only a few centimetres taller but being pinned against a wall really did exploit those few centimetres.

“You should stop caring so much about what people might think.” Seungcheol said huskily, leaning in to press a line of soft kisses up his neck, pausing at his earlobe and licking across the cartilage, “I like it here, because you’re here.” He continued, Jeonghan sighing now, relaxing against the wall as Seungcheol leant in to kiss him softly, lips and tongue and too slow for Jeonghan to call sensual.

“I’m sure you’re supposed to be sleeping.” Jeonghan whispered in the small space between them as they pulled apart, but Seungcheol was giggling, warm breath fanning Jeonghan’s jaw.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He responded, gripping Jeonghan’s hips against his with force as his head hit the wall, “Just let me have this for a moment.” And Jeonghan was going to melt.

“O-okay,” Jeonghan finally breathed, a beat too late as Seungcheol began biting at his neck, purpling marks painting his skin only to travel back up to his lips, slowly, feverishly kissing him. Jeonghan had never experienced something like this without it leading to sex, but the moment Seungcheol pulled away, he knew they weren’t getting that far. In fact, it didn't seem as though they were getting any further than innocent, teenage making out. He sighed to himself and Seungcheol picked up on it, weaving a hand into his long, tangled hair and cupping his face.

“What is it, darling?” Seungcheol asked warmly, staring deep into Jeonghan’s eyes and making him weak at the knees.

“N-nothing, I’m just- you should rest, Cheol-ah.” He cut himself off, breathing again and running his hands down Seungcheol’s biceps, not meeting his eyes for a moment.

“What is it?” Seungcheol repeated and Jeonghan knew he wasn’t going to get out of this one. He sighed in defeat, keeping his eyes on the tiled floor between them and lightly grasping at Seungcheol’s biceps, conscious of the hands still on his waist.

“I just don’t know how to do this. Anyone else I was with usually had this as a lead up to sex.” Jeonghan’s voice was shaking, a little too loud in the acoustics of the bathroom. Seungcheol lifted his jaw so he could look at him properly.

“And is that what you want?” Seungcheol asked, eyes soft and void of judgement, making Jeonghan relax a little.

“I never really had that choice. That’s all I’ve ever known.” Jeonghan replied, referring to his last explanation. Seungcheol was sighing this time, half in frustration and half in despair.

“People really treated you like this?” He asked, trying his best not to sound annoyed at Jeonghan. More so at the confession.

“Well, yes, I don’t know any better.” Jeonghan tried to explain, but Seungcheol was surging forward again, kissing him firmer now, more desperate than before. Neither had it in them to pull away and Jeonghan understood that this wasn’t simply a makeout that led to him getting Seungcheol off, this was for _him_. He couldn’t remember a time like that. He’d always joked about it, but it’d never been something in the norm.

“No one's ever done something for you without them getting off in return?” Seungcheol finally asked once they’d pulled apart, a string of shining saliva joining them at the lips. Jeonghan shook his head, because- no, no one had ever done something like that for him he was the others for the taking. When they said ‘ _jump_ ’ he said ‘ _how high?_ ’. That’s all he was taught, all he’d ever known. Seungkwan used to tell him about how well Hansol treated him, back when they first started dating, and Jeonghan used to question it, wonder how Seungkwan could be like that. He never knew that he could be the one on the receiving end of a reward.

“That’s not how I was taught. I’m supposed to give more than I get.” Jeonghan explained and really that was the exact phrase for it. He’d always been told how he was simply made to be fucked, nothing more. Seungcheol was shaking his head, suddenly reaching down between them to palm at Jeonghan’s length through his sweatpants, nipping at his neck and licking over the bruised marks, “Wh-What are you doing? Didn’t I just tell you that-” Jeonghan began but Seungcheol was sliding his hands up under his shirt, pulling away breathlessly.

“Showing you exactly what you’re supposed to be treated like, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol growled softly and was suddenly falling to his knees, kicking the door shut as he reached for Jeonghan’s waistband. He wanted to protest, really he did, but Seungcheol had him rendered speechless, with his hands and mouth and tongue and lips.

“Th-the others are still- _ah_ ” Jeonghan managed before breaking off with a guttural moan as Seungcheol mouthed him through the fabric of his pants and Jeonghan was reminded of that same feeling back at Seungcheol’s apartment, in his bed.

“I don’t care, baby.” Seungcheol mumbled, looking up at Jeonghan who was now barely standing, pressing his back firmly into the wall as he wound his fingers into Seungcheol’s black hair. Seungcheol had rid him of his boxers now, gripping his hips with firm hands and lapping at the base of Jeonghan’s cock. He stuttered on a breath, trying to keep quiet and stay still, because Seungcheol was suddenly taking him into his mouth, sucking and licking at the underside of his cock, not once breaking their eye contact as Jeonghan tensed, throwing a hand over his mouth.

“F _-fuck_.” Jeonghan mumbled, eyes watering at the sensation, come to think of it, he’d never been given a blowjob before his night with Seungcheol. Only given them and there had been a fair few when it came to giving them. Seungcheol reached a hand up to slide over Jeonghan’s abdomen, grazing his nipples and pressing at his hip bones on the way down. He was taking him down to the base now, deepthroating him until Jeonghan was fighting the sensation to rut his hips into Seungcheol’s mouth, gritting his teeth in anticipation. Seungcheol looked up at him, eyes sparkling and devious as he licked along the veins he could reach with his tongue, mouthing at his slit on the way up and Jeonghan was whining, panting into the back of his hand as he gripped Seungcheol’s hair in a weak fist. His knees felt weaker than before and with every lap of Seungcheol’s tongue, every time he relaxed his throat for Jeonghan’s length, he was so close to coming. Jeonghan swallowed roughly and Seungcheol would’ve been smirking if his mouth wasn’t filled with a twitching, desperate cock. He pulled off, nipping and licking up the sides and nuzzling the base of his cock before he took him to the back of his throat again, gagging slightly as Jeonghan involuntarily bucked his hips off the wall. It was a moment before he recovered, pressing his fingers into Jeonghan’s hip bones a little firmer now and relaxing his throat and Jeonghan tensed up,

“I-I’m going to cum, _C-Cheol-ah_!” He whined, clasping his hand over his mouth and tightening his grip in Seungcheol’s dark curls. Seungcheol was bobbing his head a little now, swallowing down Jeonghan’s release and eyeing him carefully. Jeonghan’s blissed out expression was enough for Seungcheol to keep up the movement, swallowing every last bit of him down before pulling off and licking up his length to catch any he’d missed.

“Mm,” Seungcheol hummed, revelling in Jeonghan’s raspy panting and ragged breaths as he came down from his high. His legs felt too weak to carry his weight and Seungcheol was smiling up at him now, pressing soft kisses to his tip, then to his navel and hips, “Better?” Seungcheol asked as if he were simply asking whether Jeonghan was feeling better after having come down with a cold. Jeonghan scoffed, hair sticking to the nape of his neck as he’d failed to tie it back. He reached for Seungcheol, pulling him up from his knees and kissing him, tasting himself on his tongue and hissing when his cock brushed Seungcheol’s jean fabric. He mumbled an apology against his lips.

“Oh my God,” Jeonghan said breathlessly, reaching for his sweatpants to pull them up so Seungcheol could continue making out with him. His phone buzzed making them both jump, pulling apart with a groan as Jeonghan reached for it from beside the sink. Seungcheol continued distractedly kissing his neck,

“Who is it?” He mumbled, grazing his teeth over Jeonghan’s pulse point and back down to his collarbone. Jeonghan was suddenly giggling,

“Jisoo said that the time we’ve been in here is getting suspicious, so the three of them would be going out to get Hansol now.” He replied, smiling and tapping out a ‘thanks’ before placing his phone back on the side and reaching back to kiss Seungcheol again.

“That means you get to nap with me.” Seungcheol said between kisses, Jeonghan reaching his hands up to cup Seungcheol’s face as he walked them to his bed.

“Mh, that sounds good to me,” Jeonghan mumbled, smiling up at Seungcheol as they reached his bed, collapsing back on it and scrunching his nose, “Oh God, it smells like Jisoo, I think I’m going to vomit.” He fell back in defeat, Seungcheol giggling as he crawled over him, kissing him softly and caging him under his body. He finally pulled back, staring down at Jeonghan and tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, falling to the side so they lay next to one another, Jeonghan still staring at him.

“You’re beautiful, did you know?” Seungcheol murmured, eyes a little heavy as he lay facing Jeonghan, head resting on his arm as he caressed Jeonghan’s face. He smiled in response, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to Seungcheol’s lips,

“I can’t say it’s something I’d refer myself to as.” He responded, voice muffled from the sheets and after flashing his eyes down to the sheets and back up to Seungcheol, he realised his eyes were shut, breathing evened out as he fell into a silent sleep. Jeonghan smiled, leaning into the hand that Seungcheol still had on his face. He slid it down to his waist and pressed his face into Seungcheol’s chest, sighing as he fell asleep there.

 

That evening the six of them all joined in the living room, Jeonghan with his back against Seungcheol’s chest as he sat between his thighs, Seungkwan with his head in Hansol’s lap and Jihoon lying on the floor with Joshua trying to tackle him. If he wasn’t careful Jihoon might actually break a limb or two in the near and foreseeable future.

“So, what are we going to do?” Seungkwan asked, gripping Hansol’s thigh as he shifted onto his side to face the others. Jeonghan turned his head to Seungcheol, he didn’t know if he already had a plan, but the furrow in his brow proved he was thinking one up.

“Well we can’t split you up. Hansol was targeted, Seungkwan needs someone to help him survive for the next six weeks and you two will just pose as two targets rather than one if Seungcheol goes home.” Jihoon said tactically, pointing at Jeonghan and Seungcheol as he explained the predicament. Jisoo looked at him in surprise,

“Did you learn all that in business class?” He perked up, shuffling into a sitting position as Hansol placed his feet in his lap, nodding for him to massage them.

“No, you fucking dimwit, I- has anyone got any ideas or are we getting witness protection involved?” Jihoon said lightheartedly, because when it was all said and done, everyone knew they couldn’t go to the police. There was no solid evidence, Jeonghan had a new name and Seungcheol looked like more of a convict than he did a victim.

“I suggest we all stay here for a few nights, or we can always go back to mine? I have a guest room, but only a sofa bed for-” Seungcheol began, but Seungkwan was shooting up in Hansol’s lap, raising his hand quickly.

“We call dibs on the guest room!” He yelled before Jihoon could so much as open his mouth. Joshua groaned, flopping to the floor on his back.

“Well, I guess that’ll throw them off? They’re not expecting us all to go to Seungcheol’s, if anything they’d expect me to go to Seungcheol’s and you two to stay here.” Jeonghan said quietly, thinking it over as he chewed on his nails. Seungcheol was unconsciously pulling his hand away from his mouth to stop him from the nervous antic.

“He’s right, besides, I want to see Seungcheol’s swanky apartment.” Hansol added, nodding as he helped Seungkwan lay back down again, running his hands through his soft blonde hair.

“Okay, so let’s do 3 nights at Seungcheol’s and then we’ll switch it up. Keep throwing them off. Have Jeonghan and Hansol here on the fourth night and Seungkwan and Seungcheol over at his place. As long as there’s a variation, we can manage.” Jihoon explained and Seungcheol nodded, he was a quick thinker, tactical and just. Hansol and Seungkwan were nodding.

“What about our cars? Won’t they notice something's up if mine's at Seungcheol’s?” Jisoo asked, pressing his thumbs into the ball of Hansol’s foot and eliciting a sigh from him.

“You all still need to go to college, right?” Seungcheol’s  asked and the five of them nodded, Jisoo hesitantly but the thought was there, “Okay, Jisoo can have my underground parking spot, I’ll park down the street and Hansol can’t drive anyway, settled?” He asked, thinking his plan through once more. Himself and Jisoo could drop the others at school, Jisoo might even skip classes to hang around with him and in the few days Hansol was home recovering he’d still have company and a witness in case Seungcheol was found out. Jeonghan nodded, almost biting his nails again but Seungcheol tightened his grip on his wrist.

“Okay, let’s get going, dinner’s on me.” Jisoo said, pulling himself to his feet and reaching for Seungkwan’s crutches to help him stand. A halfhearted cheer went around the room and Hansol was begging for fried chicken, using his ‘I have a stab wound’ card to get him what I wanted. Seungcheol turned to Jeonghan in his lap,

“Are you okay, baby?” He asked, tucking Jeonghan’s hair behind his ear and taking a hairband from Jeonghan’s wrist to tie it out of his face. He nodded, face still stoic and a little anxious, “What’s the matter?” He tried again, jamming the tie between his teeth as he combed his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair splitting it into three to braid it for him. Jeonghan sighed quietly, body shuddering a little,

“I’m just scared. I don’t want the others to get hurt, that’s all.” He mumbled, Seungcheol coming to the end of the braid and twisting the tie around the ends of his hair, laying it flat down his back as they both got up.

“I know, Hannie, I know.” Seungcheol replied, watching as the others around him gathered their things, Jihoon throwing a bundle of Hansol’s clothes into a gym bag and frowning at the stench of a pair of his socks. Seungcheol looked back, “Just know that I’ll do everything I can to not only protect you but them as well. Neither of us had families, but I think we’re doing a good job of making them ours.” Seungcheol smiled and Jeonghan was giggling, looking over his shoulder as Jisoo stuck his tongue out at Seungkwan who was sat up on the counter without his crutches.

“Oh my God, we’re the fucking parents aren’t we.” Jeonghan stated, pulling away from Seungcheol to walk towards Seungkwan, “Alright, who put him up here?” He yelled, lifting Seungkwan onto the ground and helping him balance on his good foot. Jisoo pelted to Jeonghan’s bedroom to get away from his punishment. Seungcheol chuckled to himself, _Jesus, they really were the parents._

 

“Holy shit.” Jihoon mumbled under his breath, eyes wide as he took in Seungcheol’s apartment. Joshua was running his hands along the fabric of the couch, jaw dropped as he blinked up at the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city.

“Y-you really live here?” Hansol asked, staring at the open plan kitchen in amazement, an island in the centre with a stack of papers, sketches and photographs scattered. Seungcheol hummed in response, Jeonghan looking around properly now. Last time they’d been a little distracted with hard-ons and half-finished fights.

“Yeah, sorry about the mess.” He replied and Seungkwan was collapsing on to the plush sofa, Seungcheol handing him the remote for the large TV that occupied the wall that ran along until the divider for the front doorway. He moved to the kitchen counter, trying to shuffle his papers into a pile whilst the others looked around, “Make yourself at home, I’m not too precious about anything.” He smiled, Jeonghan coming to sit on the breakfast barstool at the island that Seungcheol was attempting to clear.  _Okay, maybe precious about one thing_ , he thought as he looked at Jeonghan briefly. Joshua placed the takeout bags on the counter around the kitchen, opening a cupboard to begin looking for plates and glasses.

“Jisoo! He was being nice when he said make yourself at home!” Jeonghan snapped, placing a sketched design back on the table, but Seungcheol was giggling, placing his hand over Jeonghan’s.

“It’s fine, really, babe.” He said with a smile, “Plates are in the left overhead cupboard and glasses are in the right. I think there’s cola in the fridge if you want some, I’m all out of booze, I’m afraid.” He added apologetically to Jisoo, but he simply shrugged, smiling up at Seungcheol as he reached for the plates. Jeonghan turned back to the sketches, lifting one in front of him and turning back to Seungcheol,

“You drew these?” He asked, Seungcheol nodding and tilting his head at the one Jeonghan was holding. He scrunched his face in disgust, pulling a portfolio file from beneath the counter,

“Eurgh, that one’s awful.” He groaned, taking it from Jeonghan’s hands to slip into the file, “Nothing is in proportion.” Jeonghan smirked, looking at his cursive, scribbled notes and pulling a photograph and sketch, paperclipped together, from the pile.

“I like this one,” Jeonghan said quietly, eyes bright as he inspected the photograph then the sketch, “It’s beautiful.” Seungcheol looked up from his sorting to see what Jeonghan had found, he smiled,

“You surprise me,” He responded, eyeing the work he’d chosen. It wasn’t a piece he’d brag about, but not one he hated. He’d designed it merely days before the client had come in and she’d chosen it so eagerly, he was surprised. The photograph showed the woman’s rib cage, just below her breast, where he’d inked the two betta fish into her skin. It was a simple design, the fish circling one another, all in black and unshaded, making the image flat. The sketch below was more impressive and he thought that’s what had enchanted Jeonghan. The same piece was on rough paper, only this time with smudges of pastel purple and blue, watercolours swimming over the betta’s tails and fading out over their fins. The woman had solely wanted the outline- many others already on her body the same- as her children liked to colour them in.

“I didn’t know you were this good.” Jeonghan said quietly and Seungcheol laughed, shaking his head and clearing his more elaborate artworks into the folder. It wasn’t like he didn’t want Jeonghan to see them, it was just that he’d never shown his art to anyone like this. He was used to showing clients a range of work, them unknowing that some were his, some were his coworkers, Wonwoo’s. Jeonghan looked up at him, trying to place his expression, “You don’t want me to look through them?” He asked innocently and Seungcheol was shaking his head, pausing a second from putting the papers away.

“No, no, it’s not that,” He paused again, looking down at the bigger scraps of paper on the counter, “I’m just not used to showing people my work like this. No one’s ever been really interested in it.” He tried to explain and Jeonghan was raising his eyebrows in surprise, handing him the Betta sketch back and helping him sort them into groups of research, sketches and prints.

“I’m interested,” Jeonghan smiled, pausing again to study a page of notes and diagrams that had the title _‘The Anatomy of a Lily’_ showing cross-section diagrams of the flower and how one might draw it from different angles. They were beautiful, “Jimin was right. If you had of been producing this much work whilst you were supposed to be spending time with her, she had the right to be pissed.” Jeonghan giggled, eyeing a disney style cartoon drawing of Thumper the rabbit and holding it up to Seungcheol as if to say ‘really?’ He snatched it away with a laugh, his head tilting back as he covered his mouth.

“I have to practice for all occasions. Not all my clients are dark and moody like me, some want Thumper the rabbit or Bambi the deer.” Seungcheol said, still giggling at Jeonghan’s amused expression.

“And has anyone ever asked you to do either of those before?” Jeonghan questioned, picking up a darker image, skeletal figures with long legs and flowers twisting through their rib cages.

“Well, not yet, but-” He tried to explain but Jeonghan was laughing this time, shaking his head, a few loose strands of hair falling from his braid.

“Just admit you’re actually a massive softie.” Jeonghan smiled and Seungcheol was going to get lost in his eyes if Jeonghan kept looking at him like that. Seungcheol shrugged, running his thumb over a charcoal drawing, smudging it out until it ran into a smoother curve.

“What can I say? Good souls make good company.” Seungcheol smiled, leaning forward to peck Jeonghan’s lips, pulling away quickly and continuing his tidying.

“How much of this do you do? It’s endless.” Jeonghan said, eyes wide as he shuffled through the papers, not yet finding the table beneath all the work.

“Let’s just say that all these have accumulated over about 3 or 4 days, no more than that.” He shrugged again and Jeonghan was in shock. He must go through so many supplies, art supplies weren’t exactly cheap, either.

“You must have so many unfinished pieces.” Jeonghan commented and Seungcheol nodded, throwing his hand over his shoulder towards the guest room down the corridor.

“Yeah, almost every cupboard and drawer has files and notes and sketches in. I think there’s some on the walls in there too, I should probably take them down actually. It might freak Hansol and Seungkwan out a bit.” Seungcheol said absentmindedly, brows furrowed in thought. Jeonghan smiled at him, he was gorgeous like this, rambling about the thing he was most passionate about. Jeonghan wondered if he looked that gorgeous when he rambled about vocals and singing.

“They’re beautiful, you’re really good at this.” Jeonghan said quietly, looking at another piece, all on shapes and perception. Seungcheol tried not to blush.

“Thanks,” He paused, gaining a little confidence from Jeonghan’s praise, “I really enjoyed studying Henri Matisse in Uni, I think that’s where I found my love for the simpler sketches. Much like the Bettas the sketch was completely flat, but I wanted to add a little colour, I wanted it to look like a drawing not a real fish. Simple lines and curves, nothing fancy. Of course Andy Warhol’s work contradicts that, but his work is right up there with Matisse’s, they’re both my main inspirations- S-sorry I’m getting carried away.” He cut himself off, suddenly embarrassed as he kept his eyes on the table in front of him, fingers moving a little faster as a distraction for himself. Jeonghan smiled, resting his hands over Seungcheol’s,

“It’s hot when you talk art to me.” Jeonghan murmured, leaning in to kiss him firmly. He pushed the last few sheets into a pile once they’d pulled apart leaning into Seungcheol, lips bumping his ear, “Maybe one day you’ll paint me like one of your French girls.” He pulled back, winking mischievously and passing him to sit with the boys in the living area.

 

Everyone was settled. It crossed Seungcheol’s mind that this could almost be fun, like a kiddie sleepover party, something he’d never really experienced. Other than his grandparents, Seungcheol had only ever lived alone. He’d always wondered what it’d be like to come home to roommates cooking dinner or falling asleep on the couch whilst watching reruns of Game of Thrones. It was odd to think that the idea of him coming home to someone waiting for him, someone who kissed him and told him they’d made dinner for him was going to be a reality for a little while too.

Jeonghan was in the kitchen making a late night snack, it smelt like fried bread and jam and everyone else had made it to bed. Jihoon and Joshua on the sofa bed, Seungkwan and Hansol in the guest room and Jeonghan standing over the stove like a housewife.

“Baby? It’s almost 2.” Seungcheol mumbled tiredly, rubbing his eyes as he came up behind Jeonghan to hug him, resting his chin on his shoulder and closing his eyes again. Jeonghan hummed, switching the stove off and reaching for a butter knife,

“Sorry, did I wake you?” He whispered in turn, tilting his head to the side to press a kiss to the crown of Seungcheol’s head affectionately.

“‘S okay.” He slurred, voice dripping with sleep and making Jeonghan giggle, “Can we go back to bed now?” He asked as Jeonghan took a bite out of his toast.

“Of course, darling.” Jeonghan wasn’t usually one to use such affectionate terms but Seungcheol looked so tired, so soft and warm in his hoodie that Jeonghan couldn’t stop himself. Seungcheol stayed behind him, holding onto his waist as Jeonghan led them back to their bedroom, chewing obnoxiously on his toast.

“How come you’re awake, anyway?” Seungcheol mumbled, climbing into bed beside Jeonghan and wrapping him up in his arms. Jeonghan smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes, Seungcheol was too tired to notice.

“Just a bad dream. Besides the others all got to the takeout before us so I was still a bit hungry.” Jeonghan replied softly, finishing up his toast and sliding the plate onto the bedside table, snuggling down into the blankets and curling into Seungcheol’s chest. Jeonghan was quick to learn that when Seungcheol was tired or nervous, he got clingy. He’d learnt this from very early on and it had peaked as one of his top five favourite things about this boy. He pressed a kiss to his collarbone, smiling at Seungcheol’s appreciative hum.

“You should skip college tomorrow. I have the day off.” Seungcheol mumbled, voice muffled by the pillow and sounding like he might fall asleep mid-conversation.

“Well, some of us have to graduate, actually, Cheollie.” He retorted, giggling into Seungcheol’s chest and twisting their legs together.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He chided quietly and Jeonghan knew he’d be asleep now, “Hannie, please don’t get hurt. I don’t want to lose you too.” He suddenly spoke up, surprising Jeonghan, voice raspy and limbs relaxing into Jeonghan. He smiled softly, sadness ringing through his soul as he turned the words over in his mind,

“I’m not going anywhere, darling, I promise.”

 

The first day went smoothly. So smoothly, in fact, that Jeonghan wondered if this was how Seungcheol got to live everyday. All six of them were up by 7, Jeonghan helping Seungkwan bathe and Jisoo helping Hansol. Jeonghan was the one to redress Hansol’s wound, he didn’t trust anyone else to do it right.

“Who has afternoon classes?” Seungcheol called out over the apartment, checking his phone as a text from Wonwoo came through. He prayed it wasn’t for him to come in today.

“Seungkwan and Jihoon.” Hansol called back from the bathroom, hands combing through his hair as he remembered their schedules. Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, impressed, in the reflection of the mirror. Hansol smirked and shook his head. Although he wasn’t going in today, he wanted to at least be there for Seungkwan.

“Okay, Jisoo would you rather stay late and bring them both home or come home early with Jeonghan?” He asked, pushing Jihoon his mug of coffee and taking Jeonghan’s from his hands to finish it off.

“You can get Jeonghan, I’ll wait for the others. See, Hannie, I’m a good friend.” Jisoo calls across the apartment, shovelling cereal into his mouth as Jihoon flicked through his phone, frowning.

“Actually, Joshua, you have a class this afternoon anyway.” Jihoon suddenly piped up and Jisoo was frowning, coming to join him, peeping over his shoulder to see the timetable Jihoon had pulled up.

“What? No I don’t, I never have classes on Mondays.” He complained, shaking his head and scrolling down on Jihoon’s phone. Seungkwan appeared in the doorway,

“Correction, you never _knew_ you had classes on Mondays.” He retorted and Jeonghan was behind him with Hansol, smirking.

“Yeah but- hold up, what class even is it? I thought I only did Business.” Joshua said and the other four of them released a shared groan.

“We all take three classes, you idiot.” Hansol cut in and Seungcheol was laughing into his, or maybe Jeonghan’s, coffee.

“It’s a Biology class!” Jihoon suddenly exclaimed, falling into fits of laughter as he eyed Jisoo’s reaction. Hansol was clutching his wound trying not to laugh too hard and Seungkwan was losing himself, staring at Joshua in amusement as he tried his best to keep himself up.

“Guys, be kind,” Jeonghan said between giggles, “He doesn’t know what it means to be in a Biology class.” He tried again, wheezing as he tried to imagine Joshua even within five feet of anything slimy.

“But I don’t want to-” Joshua began and Jihoon was doubling over, grabbing at his shoulder to right himself.

“It won’t be that bad, just- just go along today and see what it’s like.” Jihoon said, trying not to smirk. It was difficult though. Seungcheol watched the scene pan out before him, giggling as if watching a soap opera. Maybe he did enjoy having people around.

 

Seungcheol arrived at the Uni with Hansol in the passenger seat after lunch. They’d spent the morning chatting and playing _Call of Duty_ on Seungcheol’s flat screen, Hansol had never felt so spoiled.

“I’ll call him, he’s usually in the library.” Hansol said, pulling his phone from his pocket as Seungcheol parked in a bay near the reception. It would’ve been nice to go in and find Jeonghan, maybe see his Uni a little before taking him home, but there was no way he was leaving Hansol on his own and he was still too weak to be walking a great deal.

“He spends his time in the library?” Seungcheol commented, giggling to himself, “Why doesn’t that surprise me.” He added rhetorically, Hansol smirking at him as he waited for Jeonghan to pick up.

“Hey Hyung-” Hansol began, but Seungcheol was freezing up, gripping his arm as he pointed across the parking lot. Right there, was the very man who’d stabbed Hansol and, right now, he was entering the reception building. Hansol sucked in a breath, nodding slowly to Seungcheol as he tried to show he had this situation under control, “Okay, don’t panic, but there’s someone coming into the building who is a little too familiar to us.” Hansol tried, cringing at his words. He should’ve just told him. Jeonghan groaned on the other end of the line and Hansol clicked him onto speaker,

“Oh God, it’s Mingyu isn’t it? Is Ava there to? Should I go out the back exi-” He began and Hansol was shaking his head in frustration.

“No- no, not Mingyu. Just- yeah- use the back exit. Is Jun with you? Walk with Jun.” He suddenly added, but Seungcheol was tensing up, teeth gritting and Hansol was trying his best to calm him down.

“Sol-ah, there- those guys-” He cut off again, pointing to various men over the campus who had now appeared from corners of the parking lot, behind buildings. There was six at most and Seungcheol knew this all too well, “I have to go. I have to go and get him.” He rushed out, reaching for the door in haste, but Hansol was grabbing his arm, nodding to Jeonghan’s contact on the screen of his phone.

“Cheol-ah? What’s happening?” Jeonghan finally asked, anxiety and hesitance lacing his voice. It were almost as if he didn’t want to know the answer, or he already knew but needed to hear that it wasn’t what he’d thought. Seungcheol sighed in aggravation, they were cornered. If Seungcheol got out the car to get Jeonghan, they’d both be captured, they were outnumbered and if Hansol did, well, he probably wouldn’t make it any further than the reception hall.

“Is Jun with you, yes or no?” Hansol asked a little urgently. He was praying with every fiber of his being that he was. They wouldn’t attempt luring Jeonghan out if they knew he had an alibi, a witness, someone that could call for help.

“No, he’s in a meeting at the-” Jeonghan began, but Seungcheol was growling, tapping his phone in annoyance.

“Just sit tight. Go and find that Mingyu or whatever his name is. If he’s not in the library then stay put, sit with someone you know, anyone, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol grit out, tapping on a contact on his phone. This was his last hope. The line picked up after 7 tones and Seungcheol was sighing in relief, Hansol keeping Jeonghan occupied on the call beside him.

“Soonyoung?” Seungcheol said desperately, voice shaking a little as he eyed two of the men approaching the reception. They were sending more than one person in? That was new.

“Hey, Cheol-ah, what’s good?” He replied, voice steady through the crackle of reception.

“Not a lot right now, are you on campus today?” Seungcheol replied nervously, running his hand through his hair and clicking the lock on his car so himself and Hansol were safe.

“Yeah, I have a lecture this afternoon, but I was just about to get lunch. Why, did you want to meet?” He asked, voice a little excited as he asked. If the situation were any different, Seungcheol would be smiling and telling him yes and that he’d pay for the both of them, but he was shaking now.

“I need you to do me a favour actually.” He paused, “You know about ‘Osaka’, right? Well, they’re here and I need your help. Can you go to the library, find a guy with long hair, his name is Jeonghan and I’ll send you a picture. Just walk him down to the parking lot.” Seungcheol said brokenly and Hansol nodded at him, explaining the plan to Jeonghan through his call. Seungcheol pulled his phone away from his ear to send a photo of Jeonghan.

“Done, I’ll bring him down as soon as I’ve got him.” Soonyoung replied and Jeonghan was sighing in relief through the other call. Seungcheol nodded, thanking him over and over before hanging up.

 

Yes, Jeonghan was on edge, in fact, he had been all day, but now he was really feeling it. He paced the library after his phone call with Hansol and Seungcheol had sounded nervous, worried for his safety and scared for the both of them. If it ever came down to it, Jeonghan knew that Seungcheol would give up his life to save him and that was terrifying.

“Jeonghan?” A voice came behind him and in a fearful moment he wondered if the group had found him before Soonyoung had. He turned around, clutching his phone to his chest, eyes wide, but the boy was smiling up at him softly.

“S-Soonyoung?” Jeonghan replied, on edge, but Soonyoung was looking at him with bright eyes, taking his books to carry them for him. He watched as Soonyoung pulled his phone from his pocket, swiping through it a moment to bring up his chat with Seungcheol and the photo of Jeonghan, proving his identity. It wasn’t that Jeonghan didn’t believe him, it was just that they hadn’t got out the building yet and things could still go wrong.

“Seungcheol’s friend.” Soonyoung confirmed, walking Jeonghan to the staircase, eyes flitting at any movement within their proximity, “He was right, you’re pretty.” He said warmly and Jeonghan blushed, thanking him in embarrassment.

“What do you study here?” Jeonghan asked, brushing his hair out of his face to look at Soonyoung properly now the light was shining through the staircase windows. He was pretty, fair skin and Jeonghan had already noticed his red hair, but it was gorgeous in this light, slightly tinged fluorescent and in better condition than Jeonghan would like to say his was.

“Paediatrics. Just one subject for the med students, you know?” Soonyoung said excitedly and Jeonghan was surprised at his enthusiasm. It’d been the very profession Jisoo’s parents had wanted him to go into and he’d refused so impertinently that Jeonghan had just assumed it was a truly awful subject.

“Wow, that must be hard,” Jeonghan paused as Soonyoung gripped his forearm, leaning on tiptoes to look out the staircase windows, Jeonghan needed to keep distracting himself, “Y-you enjoy it?” He asked, trying his best not to think about his current predicament. Soonyoung knew what he was trying to do, he’d seen Seungcheol do the same thing a million times over, they were one of a kind.

“Mh, yeah, I like making people better.” Soonyoung replied, playing into Jeonghan distraction as he dropped his grip on his forearm, continuing down the stairs, “I’m guessing this is why Seungcheol likes you? You study art, then?” Soonyoung commented, waving the top book from Jeonghan’s checked-out library pile. Jeonghan smiled, shaking his head,

“No, no, I just wanted to learn more about the artists he liked. He seems so happy when he talks about it and I want to be able to discuss things that make him happy.” Jeonghan said, getting a little embarrassed about it as he thought about how odd it might sound to anyone else. Soonyoung smiled, though,

“Yep, it’s all him and Wonwoo talk about when we hang out together. Seokmin and I are sick of it.” Soonyoung joked, chuckling as they neared the corridor that led to the reception building. Jeonghan tensed up, there were three figures at the end of the corridor. Not one of them looked like they attended the University. Soonyoung noticed Jeonghan’s mood change and slipped his hand into Jeonghan’s, squeezing reassuringly, “Just until we get out of here.” Soonyoung whispered under his breath and Jeonghan noticed it as a ploy, fake news. If they thought Soonyoung was with Jeonghan they’d not expect him to be at Seungcheol’s house, it was another puzzle piece for them.

“I h-haven’t heard of Seokmin before.” Jeonghan continued, remembering how Seungcheol had said that most of his friends had come to be in recent years, they weren’t exactly going to be childhood buddies. Soonyoung smiled softly, continuing the conversation as they neared the reception. The three figures at the end of the corridor were looking up and mumbling between themselves now, obviously trying hard to fit in.

“Yeah, Seokmin works downtown. His younger brother, Chan, came in one time to get a sleeve down and Seokmin came in to scold them for letting him have it, but also to applaud their work. It was pretty funny.” Soonyoung laughed to himself and Jeonghan giggled along, keeping his hand clutched in Soonyoung’s as they entered the reception.

“Oh God, you became friends after that?” Jeonghan questioned and Soonyoung was nodding, swiping Jeonghan’s access pass for him to sign out as they exited the doors, leaving the three men behind them.

“Yep, Seungcheol said he had a good feeling about him or something. Anyway, Seokmin started bringing them coffee in his lunch breaks whilst they worked and Chan still comes in without Seokmin knowing sometimes.” Soonyoung giggled, keeping the act up as they descended the stairs from the front entrance, Seungcheol’s car in sight now. Jeonghan sighed in relief, but Soonyoung was still wary, flitting his eyes to side buildings and-

“Excuse me?” A voice called across the parking lot, running up to the both of them, all in black and looking too old to be a student, “Can I have a quick word with your boyfriend? I saw him in the library early.” the man said huskily, nodding to Jeonghan as he asked Soonyoung.

“Well, what’s this about?” Soonyoung asked confidently and Jeonghan shifted on his feet, looking between them and realising that Soonyoung may be small, but- _Jesus_ \- did he look like he could throw a clean right hook.

“Private matters, don’t worry, I’m not going to steal your boyfriend or anything, I just want a word.” He said again and Jeonghan rose an eyebrow, standing his ground with Soonyoung’s hand tight in his grip.

“Okay, go ahead. Young-ah doesn’t mind private matters, you see he deals with confidentiality a lot at the hospital, so this will be nice practice.” Jeonghan sassed and Soonyoung was so, _so_ close to falling into fits of laughter at his obvious bullshit. The man looked taken aback, he frowned and looked at the ground for a beat,

“D-don’t worry, it can wait for next time.” He mumbled out, clearly aggravated. Soonyoung was smirking as they began walking away, shaking his head in amusement.

“They’re losing their knack. What did they think, that you were just going to go off with him?” Soonyoung said under his breath, flashing a glance over his shoulder as the man walked across the parking lot in defeat. Seungcheol had rolled down his window and was now driving towards them, stopping in front of them to let Jeonghan get in. He didn’t so much as blink at their interlocked hands,

“Young-ah, I owe you one, big time.” Seungcheol breathed out, Hansol smiling up at him.

“Your hair is amazing!” He called over, leaning across the console and cringing a little in pain, Seungcheol noticed, pushing him back into his seat and telling him to be careful.

“Thanks, kid!” Soonyoung called back to Hansol, then turning back to Seungcheol, “Buy us drinks tonight and we’ll call it evens. That’s if you’re coming.” Seungcheol shook his head.

“I have guests, it’s impolite.” Seungcheol said nodding to Hansol and Jeonghan. Soonyoung giggled,

“Bring them all along.” He said cheekily, shrugging, but Seungcheol was rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

“Are you serious? One of them has a broken foot and the other, here, has a literal _day old_ _stab wound._ ” He explained and Soonyoung was rolling his eyes this time, pointing at Hansol in the car.

“That’s going to leave a sick scar, but right now you’re being an absolute killjoy.” Soonyoung deadpanned, but Jeonghan was leaning over the console, hand on Seungcheol’s pants.

“Jeonghan, what the fuck?” He squirmed, because this was the most unexpected time and place and _what the hell was he thinking_. Before Seungcheol could literally pass out, Jeonghan was pulling his wallet out of Seungcheol’s jean pocket,

“Relax, I wasn’t going to give you a handjob,” Jeonghan smirked and Hansol was fake gagging, “You’re going to need this one,” Jeonghan said smoothly, taking Seungcheol’s debit card from his wallet and handing it to Soonyoung, “Just bring the party to us, Young-ah. Seungkwan and Vernon like Ciders and the rest of us will drink whatever’s going, especially if it starts with ‘tequi’ and ends with ‘la’.” Jeonghan smiled and Seungcheol was smirking, not even complaining at the fact he’d just unexpectedly been robbed of his debit card. Hansol was squealing in his seat and Soonyoung was giggling at his reaction.

“Sounds good to me, right, Cheol-ah?” Soonyoung asked mischievously, but Seungcheol was smiling and nodding in defeat, “Good, because Wonwoo is going to _love_ him.” Soonyoung whisper-yelled, pointing at Jeonghan in excitement.

 

Jeonghan was sat at the kitchen island, his library books scattered across the table as he took down notes and stuck tabs on pages. Joshua, Seungkwan and Jihoon had gotten back to the apartment earlier, now all gathered in the living room playing _Mario Kart_.

“Hansol said you studied a lot.” Seungcheol spoke behind him, crossing the kitchen to click the kettle on, sitting adjacent to him on a barstool.

“He’s being dramatic. I, in fact, study the usual amount for a student but none of them would know because they don’t even know what classes they all take.” Jeonghan sassed, rubbing a hand over his shoulder, tilting his head at the tightness.

“You want a massage?” Seungcheol asked, getting up to stand behind Jeonghan, pressing his thumbs into his muscle knots. Jeonghan groaned out, relaxing as he reached for his mug of coffee and cursing when he spilt some on his notes. Seungcheol watched over his shoulder, scanning his books to see if he even knew any of the words, but they all contained things like _jurisdiction_ and _magistrates_.

“I don’t understand these parts,” Jeonghan groaned in frustration, running his index finger down a list titled _Amnesty and International Law Accords_ , “It doesn’t makes sense, why isn't it just the same everywhere?” He groaned again, leaning forward and resting his head on the piles of papers with a _thunk_.

“You can always come back to it l-” Seungcheol began, pausing the movement of his hands as he noticed a book he did know something about, “You’re studying Matisse in your Law class now?” He asked, leaning over Jeonghan to retrieve the book, a few yellow tabs sticking out the side. Jeonghan sat bolt upright, eyes wide a moment,

“I- no, I just-” He stopped himself to collect his thoughts, sighing out in embarrassment, “I just wanted to know some more about his work. You’re so happy when you talk about art. I want to be able to be in that happiness, to talk about the things you like without you thinking you’re boring me.” He tried to explain and Seungcheol was looking at him in admiration, eyes wide as he stared down at Jeonghan who was looking at his hands.

“You want to learn this for me?” Seungcheol asked in confusion, flicking through the book and reaching to tilt Jeonghan’s head up to meet his gaze.

“Yes?” Jeonghan responded and it came out as more of a question than he’d have liked, but his voice didn’t shake and that was an improvement.

“Well, you’d better begin with this one.” Seungcheol said after a moment, handing the book to Jeonghan on an open page, one he’d actually marked. It was titled ‘Magnolia’ and, even though Jeonghan knew nothing about art, he thought it was pretty. It was simple and the lines curved so beautifully. Seungcheol watched Jeonghan’s expression before he continued, “This was the piece that got me out of drawing people and into drawing flowers. It’s my favourite.” He added quietly and even though his voice was steady and thick, he was melting inside. He couldn’t believe that someone liked him enough to want to be able to share his interests. Jeonghan was looking at the image in awe, suddenly looking up with a frown as he eyed Seungcheol carefully.

“Hang on a moment,” Jeonghan muttered, reaching for the hem of Seungcheol’s sweater and pulling it up so his rib cage was exposed. Seungcheol didn’t stop him, “I knew I recognised it!” He exclaimed, running the pads of his fingers over the geometric tattoo with the flower in the centre, the one he’d seen the night they’d had sex. The flower in the centre was a near replica of Matisse’s ‘Magnolia’ and Jeonghan couldn’t stop staring now.

“Hm, I didn’t think you’d remember.” Seungcheol smirked, reaching out to brush Jeonghan’s hair from his face as he stroked the skin over his tattoo, sweater still hitched up to his chest, “We were pretty caught up in the moment, I’m surprised this stayed with you.” He added, tilting his head as Jeonghan switched his gaze from the library book to Seungcheol’s skin and back again. He simply hummed in response and Seungcheol knew he wasn’t really listening. Before Seungcheol could ask what was happening, Jeonghan was taking a picture of Seungcheol’s tattoo, slipping his phone back into his pocket as he turned back around to read through the translated description below the image. Seungcheol was left standing there with his sweater ruffled and the slightest hard-on. Jeonghan was left to his studies.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Implications of abuse, my dudes.

****

Jisoo was sliding down the hallway, tapping the screen that showed who was at the door and Seungcheol was giggling, doing the same as he came to stand beside him, smiling as the image came of three boys holding plastic bags and bottles of alcohol. Joshua squealed, Seungcheol buzzing them up as Seungkwan leant on Jeonghan’s side before being lifted onto the barstool.

“Hey, you two,” Jeonghan said, addressing Hansol and Seungkwan, “No heavy drinking, okay? You’re both still on medication and if I get in trouble for your liver failures as well, I will- honest to God- cut both your arms off.” Jeonghan said, pointing towards them both indignantly. The door latch clicked and Jeonghan turned around just in time to see Seungcheol welcoming the three of them in, smiling as Soonyoung approached him first.

“Hey, Jeongan!” He called, placing the bags and bottles on the island, clear of Jeonghan’s study papers and books now. 

“Soonyoung! Thanks again for earlier.” Jeonghan replied, eyeing the tequila bottle and smirking at Soonyoung. The group came into the living room, Jihoon suddenly pulling himself to his feet and standing, frozen, in utter shock. Hansol was staring up at him and suddenly the room fell quiet.

“Jihoon?” Soonyoung mumbled as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself. Jihoon gulped and Hansol was looking between them, still sat on the couch, but the rest of the group was moving around them slowly, settling down.

“Y-Young-ah, hi.” Jihoon answered and the atmosphere shifted the slightest bit. Jeonghan sat Seungkwan down beside Hansol on the couch,

“What? You two know each other? That’s crazy.” Jeonghan spoke, offering the rest of the couch to Wonwoo and Seokmin as he settled with Seungcheol on the floor. Soonyoung didn’t break the eye contact, simply mumbled under his breath, just as Jisoo came back into the room,

“We- we dated.” It came out quieter than he’d have liked and Jihoon flinched at the words, brows pulling together, but Jeonghan was standing again, trying to salvage the situation.

“Right, what are we drinking? Seungkwan, Hansol? What do you both want?” He asked, diverting the attention from them and Soonyoung was suddenly blinking, dragging a smile on to his face and sitting down beside Seungcheol. He was good at lying, apparently so was Jihoon, the very reason they’d ended things.

“I can help, with drinks.” Wonwoo called excitedly, pulling himself from the couch and following Jeonghan into the kitchen, Soonyoung at their heels.

Once out of earshot Wonwoo turned to Soonyoung in surprise,

“You mean Jihoon,  _ the _ Jihoon?” He asked, voice a little hesitant and Jeonghan didn’t want to ask what he meant by ‘ _ the _ Jihoon’. 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung said softly, he didn’t sound sad, maybe closer to nostalgic. He uncapped the bottle of vodka, pouring himself a shot before knocking it back quickly, “Yeah, that’s him.” Wonwoo whistled low.

“How long did you date?” Jeonghan asked, grabbing glasses from the cupboard and placing them on the countertop.

“I think it was just over two years.” Soonyoung said nonchalantly and Jeonghan was stopping, freezing as he looked at Soonyoung in surprise.

“T-two years is a pretty longtime.” Jeonghan said and Wonwoo was nodding in agreement, sipping from a beer bottle and leaning against the fridge.

“Hey, Hannie, what’s the deal with your friend Jisoo?” Wonwoo asked and Jeonghan thought about it for a moment. Jihoon and Jisoo had never admitted to being anything more than fuck-buddies, but he didn’t know if that’s what either of them wanted to hear. Jeonghan chose his words carefully.

“Him and Jihoon have a, sort of, ‘thing’.” He air-quoted and Soonyoung was nodding, his suspicions confirmed. He wasn’t upset, just with himself because Jihoon had managed to move on and get with other people in the year that they’d ended things, but Soonyoung had nothing to account for, “Anyway, Joshua is- I don’t know how to put it nicely- but he’s a huge, dumb twat. He doesn’t know what he’s doing with his life and it’s pretty hilarious, but he’s actually really lovable and makes everyone laugh.” Jeonghan continued and Wonwoo had begun to laugh at the explanation.

“Tell us about the others, your profiles of them are great.” Soonyoung wheezed, giggling at his take on Joshua. Wonwoo nodded his agreement.

“Okay, well there’s Hansol.” Jeonghan took a sip of his gin and tonic, “He is madly in love with Seungkwan, it’s gross. I live with them both and it’s honestly such a disgrace.” He continued, Soonyoung bending over as he laughed.

“So they’re a couple?” Wonwoo asked once he’d recovered. Jeonghan nodded before continuing,

“They’ve been dating for about 2 years now, maybe longer, I don’t know. The thing is, is that Hansol doesn’t even actually live with us, he has a dorm at the Uni, but I think I can count the amount of times he’s been there on one hand and every one of those was to get his possessions to bring back to our place.” Jeonghan explained and Wonwoo was snorting, “But we love him. He’s great, he got stabbed for me, so I have to be nice when he eats my leftovers now.” He added, a little annoyed. It was minorly frustrating if he was honest.

“And Seungkwan?” Soonyoung asked, sipping from his mix of orange and vodka. Jeonghan had noticed that the proportions had worked out as something close to 40 percent orange juice, 60 percent vodka and he was going to keep his mouth shut.

“Seungkwan is this ball of sunshine. He’s also sort of stupid, but he tries, unlike Joshua. He always makes everyone smile and even with a broken ankle he still tries taking care of all of us. In conclusion, he is a baby and we love him.” Jeonghan said, shrugging as he thought it over. Soonyoung laughed and Wonwoo was giggling into his beer, carrying the drinks back into the living space where the others were settled now. The atmosphere had changed and it wasn’t the same as when they’d left, it was warmer now, Jihoon sat with Seungcheol on the floor and Seokmin with Hansol and Seungkwan, talking animatedly about a TV show.

Spin the bottle. That’s how every great story went and it was no different tonight. Seungkwan and Hansol had been propped up against the couch like puppets, sitting on the floor with the rest of the group now, a round of shots laid out to one side.

“Okay, Seungcheol, as the oldest, you can begin.” Jisoo said excitedly, pulling his legs in and resting a hand on Jihoon’s thigh beside him. The bottle landed on Seungkwan and he smiled, excitedly,

“Oh, yay! Okay, let’s start off with basics,” Seungkwan said cheekily, “How many times have you slept with Jeonghan-Hyung?” Jeonghan blushed, throwing his hands over his face for a moment before shaking his head again.

“Sadly, it’s just been the once.” Seungcheol replied honestly and Seungkwan was squealing in reply, turning to Hansol like a little school girl. Soonyoung was next in the circle and he leant forward, slightly tipsy already as he span the bottle, watching as it landed on Jisoo.  _ Oh this would be fun _ . Joshua smiled at him, he didn’t see him as a threat. Jihoon wasn’t his in the first place, so how could he see him as a threat?

“Okay, Soonyoung,” Joshua asked cocking his head a little, “Are you a top or bottom? I’ve been wondering since the moment you walked in and I can’t work it out.” He said honestly and the group were giggling, Jihoon smirking at the question.

“Good question. Mostly a switch, but I prefer topping.” Soonyoung said smoothly, not even blushing and Jeonghan envied that sort of confidence. It might have just been because Soonyoung were living on liquid courage at the minute, though. Jeonghan was next and suddenly he felt as if the stakes were going to be upped. The bottle was pointing to Wonwoo.

“Thank God it’s someone I’ve only just met, you’ll go easy on me, right?” Jeonghan said with a giggle, but Wonwoo was looking at him with mischief swimming in his eyes. Seungkwan was clapping his hands, eager to know the question. No one looked like that without asking a brutal question.

“What one sex position do you want to try with someone, but have yet to do?” Wonwoo asked, smirking darkly and Jeonghan was groaning, covering his face with his forearm. He was determined to answer the question, though, he could do this one. This was an easy one.

“I guess I’d like to be fucked against a wall, that sounds good.” Jeonghan replied and he surprised himself by not even stuttering. A round of wolf-whistles went around and Seungkwan was giggling shaking his head. He’d known this one after Jeonghan had come home after a few too many, just after his and Jongin’s break-up. It hadn’t changed for a year now.

“Oh, it  _ is _ good.” Jihoon said under his breath and Soonyoung was trying his hardest not to think of the very time he’d done just that to Jihoon. Jeonghan laughed, leaning back as Seokmin leant forward beside him, 

“Oh God, I feel exposed and no one’s even asked a question yet.”

Seokmin groaned, sipping his beer as the bottle in front of them stopped in front of Hansol,

“Oh!” He exclaimed, “Take your shirt off. Seungkwan and I have been curious all evening. Seungkwan more so, but me as well.” Hansol said excitedly and Soonyoung had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. Seokmin whined, finally giving up after a few wolf-whistles and coos about him ‘being shy’

“Okay, okay fine. Just know that I’m going to get you both back.” Seokmin said deviously, pulling his shirt over his head, stomach taut and flat and Seungkwan was nodding his approval. Joshua was next and Jeonghan could tell that this would be interesting. When it came to sex questions, Joshua was an open book. He’d done everything, he’d tell you everything and he didn’t even have the audacity to be ashamed. The bottle landed on Jeonghan. Typical.

“Go on, hit me, Hannie.” Joshua said, excitedly, but Jeonghan wasn’t always the angel he looked. He rose an eyebrow.

“Alright, Shua, have you ever really been in love?” Jeonghan asked, a small smile on his lips and Joshua cocked his head a little as if in thought.

“Hm, no, I don’t think so. I like it that way, I guess.” Joshua answered smoothly and Seokmin raised an eyebrow at him. Jisoo didn’t seem the type to skip out on love, his features were too soft, his eyes too dissatisfied. Wonwoo eyed him carefully. He was telling the truth.

“Alright, Jihoon-Hyung, you’re up.” Hansol called, smiling at him devilishly. He leant forward, spinning the glass in circles and it seemed to take forever to stop. Jeonghan winced, he knew it would land on Soonyoung, it was typical. Soonyoung looked up from the bottleneck pointing right at him and Jihoon wasn’t even surprised. He smiled softly, trying to make Soonyoung comfortable, it’d be easier on everyone else if they acted normal, or at least tried. There was another moment’s silence where Soonyoung sipped on his vodka and orange juice,

“Okay, Jihoon, how many people have you fucked with in a year so far.” Soonyoung asked and even if his voice was bright, yet slightly slurred, his words were cutting. Jihoon smiled again, pointing to Joshua and reaching for a shot,

“Just the one. There, I answered your question, but I think I’m going to need this as well.” Jihoon replied, throwing back the shot and scrunching his nose as it burned his throat. Soonyoung looked surprised and that one question had been bugging him all night. It was that simple and he’d got the answer, yet he couldn’t believe it were that easy. Jihoon was either becoming a compulsive liar or was telling the truth and somehow the former didn’t seem right in this situation.

The game continued and four rounds later, Jeonghan was looking at Seungcheol, eyes glassy and lust-filled as he reached across Soonyoung who had decided to switch places with him.

“Is it my turn yet? I want to ask Seungcheol to go down on me.” Jeonghan slurred, forgetting how the game worked, but not really sober enough to care. Seungcheol was more sober than Jeonghan, a lot more, in fact. The group yelped at Jeonghan’s crude request, but Jisoo was fist bumping him and telling him to go for gold.

“Baby, you gotta keep your voice down.” Seungcheol mumbled into his hair, letting Jeonghan lay his head in his lap, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead.

“Jeonghan, you have to ask Jihoon a question.” Soonyoung called, giggling beside him at his drunken state. Jeonghan sat up again, head spinning and almost falling right back over, but Seungcheol was grabbing his arm to steady him.

“Okay, okay, I got this.” Jeonghan slurred and Wonwoo was smirking into his drink, “Jihoon, I really need to know this. Do you have a daddy kink, because you seem like you do and I just need to know, okay?” His words were stumbling over one another and everyone was falling into fits of giggles at how straight-forward Jeonghan was. Soonyoung bit his lip, trying not to laugh, but Jihoon was smirking reaching for a shot glass to avoid the question, “No! No wait, if you’re drinking that must mean you do, but don’t want to admit it. Am I right?” Jeonghan added with urgency and Jihoon was pausing, then taking two shots, downing them one after the next. He was already pretty pissed, but not as much as Jeonghan. No, Jeonghan was just a lightweight, in fact.

“Share a wall with whoever I’m sleeping with next and maybe you’ll find out, Jeonghannie.” Jihoon teased, winking pathetically at Jeonghan, Seungcheol was snorting his laughter. 

“Hey- hey let’s play another game.” Wonwoo suddenly yelled, he wasn’t too far gone but maybe past tipsy at this point, “Okay, drink if you have ever had sex with someone in this room. We’ll start simple.” He continued, watching as Jeonghan, Seungcheol, Soonyoung, Jihoon, Joshua, Seungkwan and Hansol drank.

“Okay, drink if you’ve ever swallowed.” Seungcheol spoke up, everyone apart from Seokmin drinking as he thought back to his girlfriend. Jeonghan sat up again, falling off balance as he perked up,

“Oh, me! Drink if you’ve ever got horny at an inappropriate place.” Jeonghan said, drinking himself and watching as the entire circle nodded along and drank to it. Seokmin wriggled, still shirtless,

“Drink if you’ve ever had sex in an inappropriate place.” He spoke up and a few ‘oohs’ went around the room. Joshua leaned forward to Seokmin,

“Does a church count?” He asked and Jihoon was looking at him in disgust.

“Yes, very much yes. That’s the top of the list of inappropriate places to have sex.” Seokmin said, shaking his head in amused disbelief. Hansol snorted as he watched Jisoo recline, bashfully taking a shot.

“Okay, well, it was during confession, so it’s okay.” Joshua explained and no one had the balls to tell him that it in fact was  _ not okay _ , “Anyway, drink if you hope to have sex with someone in this room tonight.” Joshua added, raising another shot as he smiled proudly. Everyone drank apart from Seokmin. Wonwoo held Joshua’s gaze. Jihoon held Soonyoung’s.

 

When Jeonghan awoke, he almost gagged at the smell of tequila on their sheets. Seungcheol was curled around him and the pain in his lower back confirmed his suspicions that he and Seungcheol had fucked. He couldn’t really remember and the nausea was climbing up his throat, but he was comfortable in Seungcheol’s arms. 

“Jeonghan. Jeonghan!” A harsh whisper came from the door and Jeonghan sat up in Seungcheol’s grip, stomach churning as he did so. It was Joshua, of course it was Joshua.

“What the fuck do you want at this hour?” Jeonghan grumbled, long hair dirty and matted as he sat up. Joshua snorted,

“Firstly, it’s midday and secondly, you look awful, but the main thing I wanted to tell you was that me and Wonwoo fucked.” He screeched and Seungcheol was wriggling beneath Jeonghan, stirring at the noise.

“You and Wonwoo, what now? What about Jihoon?” Jeonghan rubbed his eyes in confusion. He needed water and something to get rid of his headache. Coffee would be nice too.

“You don’t remember? Jihoon and Soonyoung were almost fucking on the living room floor so Seokmin booked them a cab and hotel room. He’s so sweet, Seungcheol is lucky to have him around.” Joshua said a little absentmindedly, but Jeonghan was frowning.

“You’re not- I don’t know- upset that Jihoon went to a hotel room with his ex?” Jeonghan asked, running a hand into Seungcheol’s dark hair, rubbing his thumb over his temple.

“No, we never confirmed anything and it’s nice this way. Jihoon was a fuckbuddy and I know that we couldn’t have worked out as a couple, we’re both too problematic and headstrong. Can you imagine? We’d be a mess.” Joshua giggled and, thinking about it now, Jeonghan realised that Joshua was right. The more they’d gotten to know Jihoon, the more unlikely it seemed for Jisoo to change his preferences of ‘fuck buddies’ to ‘boyfriend’s. Jeonghan giggled, curling back into Seungcheol’s body for warmth.

“Put the kettle on,” He groaned out before Joshua turned to leave. Seungcheol shifted as the door clicked shut and Jeonghan watched as his eyes fluttered open, dark lashes and pale skin. 

“Hey, baby.” Seungcheol hummed, pressing his lips to Jeonghan’s forehead and slotting their naked bodies together, suddenly cringing, “We didn’t clean up did we.” He stated, lifting the sheets away from his body with a grimace. Jeonghan hadn’t really realised but now he was aware of it, he was pretty sure that the reason his hair was matted wasn’t from someone else’s vomit or alcohol. 

“Is that why my hair’s like this?” Jeonghan asked lifting the ends of his hair between a finger and thumb in disgrace. 

“Sorry,” Seungcheol giggled, “I’ll help you shower if that makes up for it?” He asked and Jeonghan was smiling, sliding a hand down Seungcheol’s chest, nails catching on his nipple piercings and moving down. 

“You’re lucky I like you as much as I do.” Jeonghan commented, pushing the covers down to the foot of the bed and groaning, “If we were home alone, I wouldn’t even bother putting clothes on today.” Jeonghan groaned, stretching his hands above his head, the light hitting his naked body so perfectly. Seungcheol tried not to jump him right then and there. He crossed the room, Seungcheol following him as he flicked the bathroom light on, gripping his hips as he came up behind him, licking over the salty skin of Jeonghan’s neck. 

“Hm, I’ll have to have you over more.” Seungcheol whispered into his neck, guiding them both behind the glass panel, flicking the faucet onto ‘hot’. Jeonghan shivered in his arms, leaning over his shoulder to meet Seungcheol’s lips behind him.

“Or maybe once this is all over, I really will have to move in with you.” Jeonghan spoke against his lips and Seungcheol was smiling, thinking back to their conversation at the hospital.

“Sounds good to me.” Seungcheol smiled, turning Jeonghan around to face him, pushing his long hair out of his face and under the stream of water to wet it.

“I think this is the first time I’m skipping class.” Jeonghan said, tilting his head back and pulling Seungcheol in as he lathered his hands in soap, running them over his body.

“I feel honoured,” Seungcheol replied, smirking as he trailed his soapy hands from Jeonghan’s neck down his arms and chest to his hips, “Oh, did you fail to tell me about this problem as well?” Seungcheol noted, eyeing Jeonghan’s half-hard cock and raising an eyebrow in amusement. Jeonghan hid his face in his hands, then sliding a hand through his hair, combing his fingers through the knotted mess.

“I-I’m still sore from last night, but it if you want to, I d-don’t mind.” Jeonghan stuttered, not meeting Seungcheol’s eyes and in an attempt to make Jeonghan look at him, he realised that there was a fine layer of uncomfort glassing his expression.

“You do mind, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol said firmly and Jeonghan looked up now, eyes wide and a little guilty.

“N-no, Seungcheol, really, if it makes you happy then I’m fine.” Jeonghan said smoothly, faking a smile, but Seungcheol saw right through it, frowning in response. He pushed Jeonghan back against the shower wall, cold tiles making him flinch and Jeonghan braced himself for Seungcheol to enter, but nothing came.

“Who hurt you? Who taught you that it was your job to be someone else’s fucktoy? Jeonghan, I know you don’t want this, you don’t have to act like this for me, baby.” Seungcheol said softly, cradling Jeonghan’s face, soft hands on his waist.

“I- I just- It’s all I’ve ever known.” He said, reiterating the same phrase he’d said before, “I know it’s not like it for everyone, I just don’t know what it  _ is _ like any other way.” Seungcheol looked at him, eyes wide and soft and Jeonghan wasn’t expecting him to, but Seungcheol was suddenly surging forward, kissing him slowly and deeply and too passionate for Jeonghan to really comprehend. Seungcheol wound his fingers into his hair, a soft hold at the nape of his neck, his lips working over Jeonghan’s, tongue sliding along his bottom lip. Jeonghan was pulling back a moment, breath laboured as Seungcheol stared at him, mouth parted and lips glossed with saliva, chasing after Jeonghan’s lips before leaning back again,

“It’s not like that with me, Hannie.” Seungcheol said quietly, running his thumb in circles over Jeonghan’s hipbone and up his waist, “I’m not going to use you for my pleasure, because when it comes down to it, if you’re not enjoying it then neither am I. I care about you, baby, not just the sex, I care about  _ you _ .” Seungcheol emphasised and Jeonghan pulled in an unsteady breath, trailing his hands up Seungcheol’s torso.

“I just don’t know how to change for you.” Jeonghan said quietly, but Seungcheol was smiling at him softly, eyes sad, but Jeonghan wasn’t discouraged.

“You don’t have to change. Just know that when it comes down to sex, you can have what you want. If you’re uncomfortable or don’t want something, then tell me. You don’t have to try and please me, just you being here with me is more than enough.” Seungcheol said softly and Jeonghan was looking at him with those bright eyes now, “Don’t feel like it’s your job to please me, baby, do it because you want to, not because you ‘should’. If you ever feel uncomfortable, ever want to stop, then you  _ have _ that power, Jeonghan. Remember that, okay?” He added and somewhere deep down, Seungcheol knew that Jeonghan had never been taught this before. He’d never been taught what it meant to give his consent, he’d just done what he was told. Jeonghan nodded, eyes watering a little, but Seungcheol knew it wasn’t fear, it wasn’t discomfort or anger, it was vulnerability. 

“Can I ask you a question?” Jeonghan asked, voice a little hesitant and Seungcheol was nodding, “W-what are we?” He finally got out and Seungcheol didn’t seem fazed, simply shifting his hand from the nape of Jeonghan’s neck to cup his jaw.   
“Well, if the label ‘boyfriend’ is available, then I’d like to go with that one.” Seungcheol said softly, pressing a gentle kiss to Jeonghan’s parted lips, the sound of water on tiles drowning out the slick sound of lips and tongue. Jeonghan looked down, blushing as he stared at the tiled floor,

“‘Boyfriend’ is up for grabs at the moment. I think I’d like you to have it.” Jeonghan spoke, eyes switching to Seungcheol’s as he turned the word over in his head. Seungcheol smiled in response, kissing him again and pulling him back under the veil of water to keep him warm.

“‘Boyfriend’ it is, then.” Seungcheol replied, reaching for the shampoo, massaging it into Jeonghan’s scalp and smiling at the groan he let slip. There was a comfortable silence for stretch and Jeonghan couldn’t help but smile to himself, turning his back to Seungcheol as he continued washing his long hair, combing out the knots with his fingers, “I love your hair like this. You look so beautiful, it’s a bit unfair how you still look gorgeous even when you’re hungover.” Seungcheol commented and Jeonghan was shaking his head with a laugh. The moment he’d opened his eyes, he’d felt like trash, lying beside Seungcheol with his matted hair and puffy eyes, head pounding.

“You must really be blind, are we still keeping that game up?” Jeonghan replied, reminding him of their first encounter in the alleyway. Seungcheol giggled, spinning Jeonghan’s body back around to look at him,

“No, I’m serious, Jeonghan. You’re beautiful.” He said quietly, running a hand through his own black, knotted hair, but Jeonghan was reaching up to comb shampoo through it now.

“You’re too good to me.” Jeonghan smiled, spinning them around so Seungcheol was directly under the flow of water now, bubbles trailing over his skin, down his chest and over his abdomen. Jeonghan couldn’t help but stare, “Besides, you’re pretty gorgeous, yourself, Cheol-ah.” He spoke, running his hands over Seungcheol’s chest to wash the soap away before leaning forward to nip at his pectorals, lapping down to his nipples and pulling the piercing between his teeth, sucking at the sensitive skin and revelling in Seungcheol’s restrained moans.

“Mh, you didn’t pay a lot of attention to the piercings last night, it was more about the tattoos.” Seungcheol commented, running his nails up and down Jeonghan’s back, making him hum. Jeonghan giggled, 

“I don’t remember a lot, if I’m honest.” Jeonghan admitted, Seungcheol threading his fingers into his long hair and letting him take control, handing him the reins. 

“I didn’t have you down as a lightweight or a horny-drunk, yet I was pleasantly surprised.” Seungcheol commented, wondering if Jeonghan remembered any contributing factors to what had led them to his bed. 

“Oh God, yeah, Seungkwan used to say I was a horny-drunk. How bad was it?” Jeonghan asked, kissing Seungcheol’s chest again, switching his gaze up to meet Seungcheol’s. He hummed in response and Jeonghan was groaning at merely that response.

“Well, do you remember almost blowing me in front of the others? It was after Wonwoo finished that bottle of Tequila off and Jisoo yelled at him, I think.” Seungcheol said thoughtfully and Jeonghan was squeezing his eyes shut in horror.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe myself.” He whined, straightening up and throwing his hands over his face, making Seungcheol giggle and pull him closer.

“It’s fine, the others were pretty drunk as well, they probably won’t even remember.” Seungcheol said, smiling at him under the stream of water and pulling Jeonghan’s hands away from his face.

“Really?” Jeonghan questioned, hesitant as he thought over the likelihood of this being true. He did remember everyone was pretty pissed.

“Really, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol confirmed, lathering his hands in conditioner and combing it through Jeonghan’s long hair.

“Did I do anything else?” Jeonghan asked again, tracing his hands down Seungcheol’s chest again as he evenly spread the shampoo through his hair.

“No, don’t worry.” Seungcheol lied, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of Jeonghan’s nose. He failed to mention the incessant words that had haunted him the moment Jeonghan had uttered them in his post-sex-state, still drunk and naked on top of him;

_ “I really am falling in love with you, Seungcheol. I don’t know what to do with myself anymore, please don’t leave me.”  _

 

It was a week and a half after their drunken gathering that the six of them deemed it necessary and safe to go back to their homes. To Jeonghan and Seungcheol’s surprise, Jisoo and Jihoon hadn’t complained once about having to share a bed after Jihoon had ended up at a hotel with Soonyoung and Joshua with Wonwoo. In fact, everything had gone relatively smoothly. One night, a few days afterwards, Jeonghan overheard a conversation between them,

 

_ “Joshua, are we… okay?” Jihoon muttered, the sound of fabric shifting as if someone were getting changed. _

_ “I hope so. I- I’m sorry, Jihoon-” Jisoo had begun, but Jihoon was jumping in, _

_ “No, don’t apologise, we both went our separate ways and- and I don’t want you to be upset with me, but…” Jihoon paused, sighing in a shaking breath and letting it hang in the air for a moment before continuing, “I- I think I want to try things again with Soonyoung. You have all the right to be angry with me and just know that I’m sorry for-” But Jisoo was cutting in now, a brief moment of silence in which Jeonghan guessed he’d pulled Jihoon into a hug because now Jisoo’s words were muffled by fabric. _

_ “I’m not angry at all, Jihoon. I like you, it was fun, but it wasn’t meant to last. I want you to stay with me, but as my friend. It’s clear that Soonyoung still has feelings for you and I want you to be with him. I know he can make you happy, so don’t beat yourself up over this.” Joshua said quietly and Jeonghan suddenly stepped back from the corridor, because the sound of Jihoon sniffing into Joshua’s neck, sobbing quietly as he choked out a ‘thank you’ was something that Jeonghan felt he shouldn’t have listened in on. _

 

And since that conversation, they’d been less intimate, but more friendly towards each other. Seungkwan and Hansol had noticed it to. They acted more like best friends now and somehow it seemed a little more exciting in Seungcheol’s apartment. He never really realised people’s attitudes could change so quickly around others, he’d never really had anyone around long enough to see it.

On Saturday morning they’d discussed the new housing arrangement and it seemed suitable for a while, but since Jeonghan’s incident at the University, he’d still been wary of being alone and even sometimes wary of letting Seungcheol out of his sight. So without too much discussion, it was decided that Joshua and Jihoon would stay with Seungkwan and Hansol in their apartment and Wonwoo with Seungcheol and Jeonghan for the time being. The original plan was supposed to be Seungcheol and Hansol at one apartment and Jeonghan and Seungkwan at another, but Jeonghan was still feeling vulnerable and the thought of Seungcheol not being in his reach or in his arms at the end of the day, was still a little frightening for Jeonghan. Wonwoo was happy to stay with Seungcheol, it meant he saved out on gas as he’d be carpooling with Seungcheol after they dropped Jeonghan at Uni and, besides, Jeonghan was Joshua’s best friend, so what better way to know his deepest darkest secrets.

It was afternoon by the time Seungcheol and Jeonghan had the apartment to themselves and Seungcheol couldn’t help but feel like it were a little empty.

“What time is Wonwoo coming?” Jeonghan asked, coming to sit on the couch beside Seungcheol with a mug of coffee, curling into his arms as he flicked between tv channels. Seungcheol turned to him, pulling him into his arms as he leant back once selecting a rerun of a drama he’d watched before,

“Not until this evening,” Seungcheol replied, pressing a kiss to Jeonghan’s head and massaging a hand on his thigh, “You don’t like being alone with me, huh?” He teased and Jeonghan was giggling, scrunching his nose as he looked up at Seungcheol, his hair falling into his face before Seungcheol caught it.   
“You know that’s not it,” Jeonghan replied, leaning forward to put his coffee mug back on the table, getting comfortable against Seungcheol’s chest as he lay back in the couch, “I just like your friends.” Seungcheol shot him a look, almost protective, but it was lighthearted.

“Let me braid your hair?” Seungcheol asked unexpectedly and Jeonghan looked up at him with wide eyes, but nodded, moving to sit on the floor between Seungcheol’s legs, “Can I tell you something about Wonwoo?” Jeonghan frowned at the question,

“Of course, I mean, if he doesn’t mind me knowing.” Jeonghan replied and Seungcheol combed his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair.

“It’s not really a secret, we just don’t tend to talk about it. He won’t mind you knowing,” Seungcheol replied and in some ways that was Jeonghan’s life as well, “When I first met Wonwoo, he came into the parlour I was an apprentice at and asked me to cover up some scars for him.” He stopped a moment letting Jeonghan have a moment to comprehend his words.

“He used to hurt himself?” Jeonghan asked in concern, but Seungcheol shook his head, knowing Jeonghan couldn’t see it.

“Not exactly, although, there was that too.” Seungcheol said, splitting Jeonghan’s hair into two, beginning a fishtail braid, “His dad started hurting him after he caught Wonwoo with another guy. It only really stopped last year when Wonwoo got the job at the parlour full-time and could pay for an apartment on his own.” Seungcheol finished quietly. Jeonghan’s eyes were filling. He didn’t know Wonwoo well, but he’d gotten such a warm vibe from him already, the way he smiled, the way he insisted on making Joshua breakfast before leaving the morning after and the way he left Jeonghan his number in case he needed something and Seungcheol wasn’t there. Everything about him seemed so pure, so innocent and sweet and loving and he was treated like this?

“W-what about his mother?” Jeonghan asked and Seungcheol was frowning at the quiver in his voice, twisting his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair rhythmically.

“She died during childbirth. He used to say that his dad blamed him for that as well. They never really got on, but when he started drinking, Wonwoo knew he had to leave, it just wasn’t in time for him to stay unharmed.” Seungcheol said quietly, pausing at the thought, “I remember him coming into the parlour that evening. He looked so tired and beaten and we were closing up in the next 15 minutes so I told him he needed to book quickly, but when I asked for his home address for our records he just started crying.” Seungcheol recalled and Jeonghan was shedding a tear now, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

“That was the night he left?” Jeonghan asked, almost not wanting to know the answer. Seungcheol nodded, hands stopping on the braid as he leant down to comfort Jeonghan with a kiss to the crown of his head.

“Yes,” He mumbled in response, “I shut early that night and brought him to my dorm. He had no one. No friends, no siblings or family. Not even money, I think maybe twenty dollars to his name. His father had used up his inheritance when he began drinking and Wonwoo was left with nothing but a satchel full of his drawings that he eventually wanted to have tattooed. I don’t know how he hoped to pay for them, maybe get a job and pay it off in loans, but he wanted every memory of his father gone.” Seungcheol explained and Jeonghan was sobbing now, wiping his face with the cuff of his sweater, Seungcheol stopping again to kiss him on his head, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“And the parlour? You hired him?” Jeonghan got out through hiccups and Seungcheol thought back to it. He was an apprentice then, still in Uni being funded by his grandparents.

“I was just an apprentice at another salon, so I didn’t have that power. After about a month of me sneaking Wonwoo into my dorm rooms every evening, whilst he went out job searching in the day, I asked my grandparents if I could move into an apartment a few blocks down. They agreed, saying it was good to separate school life from home and work and Wonwoo moved in with me. I brought home all my studies so he could work on the projects with us without having to come to class and pay tuition fees. When I graduated, my grandparents let me have my parents and siblings inheritance and told me to use it well. Wonwoo and I decided right then, that we should open our own tattoo parlour, so we did. I have the money to pay for my rent and food, but my grandparents always told me not to worry so instead I paid for Wonwoo’s until he could afford a quarter, then half, then three quarters and now, all of it.” Seungcheol breathed slowly, finishing the braid, tying his hair around itself to hide the tie. Jeonghan sniffed, turning around and looking up at Seungcheol from his place on the floor, eyes wide and glistening.

“I never would’ve guessed. He- he’s so happy and excitable and kind.” Jeonghan tried to justify, but he always knew that people saw him like that as well, yet right now he was in hiding from being murdered just like his family, if not worse.

“You should know that the saddest people smile the brightest. Wonwoo always did- always does. Just- just tell Joshua that if he wants to pursue things with Wonwoo, he can’t break his heart. Wonwoo’s had enough hurt to suffice an army, he can’t take anymore.” Seungcheol explained and he knew Jeonghan wouldn’t take offence to this, he just wanted the best for his friend, the same as Jeonghan. He nodded his understanding, Seungcheol cradling his jaw and looking down at him from his seat on the couch.

“I will personally knock Jisoo out myself if I hear that he’s hurt Wonwoo even slightly.” Jeonghan promised and he knew that he would, in fact, do that for this boy whom he’d met merely once. He must be learning compassion from somewhere. Seungcheol giggled, leaning down to kiss Jeonghan slowly, warm and wet and too much tongue. Jeonghan reached up, twining his hands around Seungcheol’s neck, but he was already being pulled into Seungcheol’s lap, straddling his waist as their teeth clashed, saliva leaving their lips glistening.   
“Why- why this all of a sudden?” Jeonghan panted, pulling away, lips parted and eyes hazy. Seungcheol’s lips pulled into a smirk,

“You’re just so beautiful and I couldn’t help myself.” Seungcheol leant in again, kissing him lazily now, “I know we were having a serious conversation and I’m sorry to change the mood so quickly.” He said quietly, pulling back, eyes flashing away for a moment in guilt, but Jeonghan was smiling softly, hands resting on his shoulders and reaching up to his face to have their eyes meet again.

“It’s okay. Thank you for telling me about Wonwoo, but I’d really like it if you kept kissing me like that, please.” Jeonghan requested and Seungcheol smiled at him, momentarily, before surging forward, hands on Jeonghan’s waist as he pressed his tongue against his bottom lip. Jeonghan was compliant, tilting his mouth open for Seungcheol to kiss him deeper again, slower and messier than before, but- by God- was it delicious. Seungcheol was lapping at the inside of his mouth now, warm against his tongue and Jeonghan was fidgeting now, not wanting things to move too quickly, but also not wanting Seungcheol to stop. They’d kissed before, of course, but not like this. Not with this amount of heat, not even the first time Seungcheol kissed him. No, that was hot and fast and desperate, but this was a different sort of desperate. The kind in which you want to absorb the other with your entire being, yes, that was more like it. Seungcheol wanted every inch of Jeonghan, his mouth, his tongue, his lips and saliva and he was going to take it, even if it were to be taken at an inhumanly slow pace. Seungcheol would take his time and Jeonghan would thank him for it later.

 

When Wonwoo arrived Jeonghan was showering, avoiding getting the braid, Seungcheol had so perfectly twined into his hair, wet. Seungcheol knocked on the bathroom door to let him know, proceeding to begin making the three of them dinner.

“Beef or Pork?” Seungcheol asked, opening the fridge and scrunching his nose in thought. Wonwoo came to stand beside him, crossing his arms and tilting his head as if judging the fridge for putting them in this predicament.

“Beef? I think Beef.” Wonwoo said decisively, Seungcheol reaching for the Pork, “Hey! I said Beef!” He whined pathetically and Seungcheol was laughing, handing him a knife and chopping board.

“I know, you should know by now that I always go with the opposite of what you say.” Seungcheol giggled, turning the stove on and warming a pan of oil whilst Wonwoo shook his head with a smile. 

“Oh, by the way, that client that came in last week has her colour booked for tomorrow. Do you want it or shall I take it?” Wonwoo asked, slicing radish without looking up. He knew how much Seungcheol hated doing colour, he always said it was a waste of time.

“No, oh, can’t we just send her somewhere else? Do we look like Ed Sheeran’s tattoo artists? I think not. Why do you need colour, lady?” Seungcheol groaned, waving his arms around pathetically as he ranted about it. Wonwoo laughed, knowing this very same complaint everytime, but enduring it nonetheless.

“I can take it, Seungcheol, it’s honestly fine.” Wonwoo said reassuringly, but Seungcheol knew his schedule, he had a triple booking tomorrow. There was no way Seungcheol was going to let him take on colour as well, that took the longest and was most strenuous. He shook his head,

“Absolutely not, Wonwoo, I’ll take the colour-bitch. Hopefully I can finish it early and help you with one of the other clients.” Seungcheol replied, Wonwoo going to reply before being interrupted with Jeonghan entering, clothed in Seungcheol’s hoodie and a pair of skinny jeans.

“Jeonghannie! How are you?” Wonwoo called, putting down the knife to hug Jeonghan, “Raiding Seungcheol’s wardrobe I see, it suits you better, if I’m honest.” He added with a smile and Jeonghan had almost forgotten how warm that smile was.

“You’re too kind, Wonwoo.” Jeonghan winked, flopping into the barstool once Wonwoo was back at the chopping board.

“Actually, I just like being a dick to Seungcheol.” He quipped and Seungcheol was low kicking him in the calves, placing the pork on the grill before turning to look at what sweater Jeonghan had chosen. Ah yes, the ‘Sexual Fantasies’ one. Of course he had.

“Cute,” Seungcheol said shortly, knowing Jeonghan could read the gaze he’d directed at him as nothing near to the word ‘cute’. More like ‘sexually frustrated’. “Anyway, Wonwoo and I are both working tomorrow, so do you want me to drop you back to your apartment with the others or do you want them to come here?” Seungcheol asked, turning back to the stove and smirking to himself as he thought of how Jeonghan would be dealing with this whiplash. Not well, if his disappointed sigh was anything to go by. Wonwoo thought it was due to Seungcheol being away from him and he whipped around in panic,

“Jeonghan, really, I can manage at the parlour on my own, Seungcheol can stay home with you and Seokmin can come round or one of your friends. He doesn’t have to come-” Wonwoo began rambling, because he’d been exactly the same with Seungcheol the first week that he’d left his father. Their instincts were fairly similar when it came to things like this, they were both sensitive and craved attention, just different levels when it came to Seungcheol.

“No, no Wonwoo, that’s not it. Seungcheol can go, he needs to go, you’ve been working on your own so much recently and I’m really sorry for that.” Jeonghan said in response, Wonwoo shaking his head and opening his mouth to explain, but Jeonghan was continuing, “Besides, he needs to get out of the house before he goes stir-crazy. I’ve been going to class and he’s been meeting me at lunch and collecting me or caring for Hansol. He needs to get back to work and you need a break.” Jeonghan continued eyes soft as Wonwoo came to sit with him on the barstools.

“Yeah, living with him is a little rough sometimes, I should’ve warned you.” Wonwoo joked, over-loudly whispering so Seungcheol would hear him.

“Hey!” Seungcheol snapped, shooting a glare at him over his shoulder, “Get back to your vegetables and stop flirting with my boyfriend, you prick!” He yelped and a sudden pride was filling Jeonghan’s chest. Seungcheol hadn’t had a chance to use that word yet. Wonwoo began wolf-whistling, tickling at Seungcheol’s sides as he mad his way back to the countertop, raising an eyebrow at Jeonghan in mischief.

“Oh,  _ ‘boyfriend’ _ , that’s a first for Seungcheol. You’re lucky to have that title, Hannie!” Wonwoo teased and Jeonghan had guessed as much. He shrugged in response and Wonwoo was continuing, “Besides, I’m in it for Joshua, not your beloved boyfriend, Seungcheol. Don’t worry.” He winked and Seungcheol was snorting, watching as Jeonghan repeatedly banged his head against the countertop.

“Oh yeah, how’s that going then, Wonwoo?” Seungcheol said once he’d resolved and Jeonghan sat up again in interest now. Joshua had been giving him nothing, using the simple answer of ‘if you want to get in on this relationship you should probably consult Seungcheol first, then we’re going to need to chat with Wonwoo as well’. So, in short, Jeonghan had given up trying to find out the nature of their relationship for now.

“Not bad, I really like him, actually.” Wonwoo said shortly and Seungcheol raised an eyebrow for him to continue, “I don’t know if he feels the same way, but it’s okay for now, you know?” He explained, but Jeonghan had never experienced Joshua being so secretive about a guy he was texting. Usually Jeonghan was being shown nudes of the very guys Jisoo was texting, but Jeonghan was yet to see one of Wonwoo. He could be onto something, actually.

“Have you sent him nudes yet?” Jeonghan asked bluntly, raising an eyebrow in question and both Seungcheol and Wonwoo were whipping around now, staring at him with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry, what the fuck?” Seungcheol asked, caught off guard by the question for a moment, but Wonwoo was speaking over him.

“How does this consult with how much he likes me?” Wonwoo asked, leaning against the counter, face twisted in confusion, but Jeonghan was simply leaning forward, resting his chin in his palm.

“It’s important. Have you or haven’t you sent him nudes yet?” Jeonghan insisted and Seungcheol was switching his gaze from Jeonghan to Wonwoo and back again. Wonwoo sighed, running a hand through his hair, embarrassed,

“Y-yes, but what has this got to do with-” Wonwoo began asking again and Seungcheol was shrieking, putting the oven gloves over his ears and singing loudly. Jeonghan smirked, 

“He’s just jealous because I haven’t sent him any yet.” Jeonghan replied, grinning evilly. Wonwoo snorted, a little more comfortable about the whole situation now Jeonghan was opening up as well.

“That’s not true! I get to see you naked whenever I want, I don’t need pictures.” Seungcheol yelled, pulling the oven mittens away from his head and turning back, but Wonwoo was smacking him on the head,

“Disgusting.” Wonwoo said savagely, shaking his head in fake disgust.

“Hang on, you’re the one sending nudes! How is me seeing Jeonghan naked-” Seungcheol began retorting, but Jeonghan was holding up a hand, Seungcheol silently obeying and shutting his mouth.

“ _ Anyway _ , I have good news,” Jeonghan said, pausing dramatically, “Joshua is into you.” He said shortly, reaching up to kiss Seungcheol’s cheek as he handed him a glass of apple juice without him even asking. They were getting domestic.

“What- how do you know?” Wonwoo asked, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure out how Jeonghan had drawn that conclusion from asking whether or not Wonwoo had sent nudes yet or not. Jeonghan sipped on the straw of his juice, pulling away a second to look at Wonwoo, eyes sparkling,

“Because I haven’t seen the nudes.” Jeonghan said shortly and Seungcheol had so many questions.

“Okay, you’re going to need to explain this. I’m glad you haven’t seen my nudes, but how does this mean Joshua is into me?” Wonwoo asked, puzzlement crossing his expression as he flicked the vegetables into a frying pan, coming to sit with Jeonghan and leaving Seungcheol to watch his cooking.

“Fine,” Jeonghan dragged out as if it were a hardship to explain, “So, Jisoo has this scheme where he shows me the nudes he’s been sent and asks if I’d let them fuck me  _ blah blah blah _ . I’ve seen about half the nation’s cocks at this point in my life, he honestly shows me  _ every single one _ , I had to fucking see  _ Jihoon’s _ . It was traumatic. Anyway, he always said to me that if it ever came to a time that he was talking with a guy and I wasn’t shown a part of a picture of their junk, then it meant he wanted to protect their identity. Something about him wanting that person all to himself and me not being allowed to see their dick or something. I don’t know, but he hasn’t shown me your entire cock and this is a first for him, so I’m pretty sure that means you’re in.” Jeonghan shrugged. It, in fact, was a big deal, but Joshua had never got this far with someone and he didn’t want him to fuck it up for Wonwoo.

“So, you mean to say that you’ve seen Jihoon’s cock?” Seungcheol questioned and Jeonghan was shooting him a look that vaguely translated to  _ ‘shut up before I switch rooms with Wonwoo for the night’ _ .

“Can I ask something about him?” Wonwoo asked, voice dropping a little lower and Jeonghan was nodding reassuringly, “Does- does Jisoo usually bottom or is he just not that into actually getting fucked, more of a virtual sort of guy?” Wonwoo questioned and Jeonghan was standing up now, eyes wide as he heard Wonwoo’s words.

“Jisoo bottomed for you?” Jeonghan exclaimed and Seungcheol was closing his eyes in an attempt to get the image out his mind.

“... yes?” Wonwoo replied, phrasing it almost like a question, but Jeonghan was pacing now, looking at Wonwoo intensely.

“Joshua doesn’t bottom for anyone. He doesn’t bottom for anyone  _ ever _ .” Jeonghan responded, confusion clouding his face as he thought about it. From what Jeonghan could remember of their R-rated chats, Joshua had never bottomed before. As far as Jeonghan knew, he’d never even been curious. Other than the time he met Seungcheol at the hospital at 2 in the morning.

“Oh,” Wonwoo said shortly, “So, what does this mean?” He asked, fiddling with a loose thread on the cuff of his jacket. Seungcheol was paying attention now, turning the Pork over, but listening on, curiosity getting the better of him.

“I think it means that he’s really gone for you. He never even showed an interest in bottoming before and the fact he did it for you is- I don’t know- something, I guess.” Jeonghan responded and Wonwoo was raising an eyebrow.

“I didn’t force him or anything, really, he seemed willing to and it suited me so it just sort of went that way, but I really did check if he was okay with it. I’d never push him into something like that, we’d both had a bit to drink, but I made sure he was okay, I promise-” Wonwoo was rambling and Seungcheol put a hand on his shoulder, Jeonghan smiling at him softly as he took his seat again.

“Wonwoo, that’s not what I’m worried about. I’m not worried at all, actually, I trust you and he does too. Otherwise he wouldn’t have bottomed for you. You don’t have to reassure me, really, I trust you.” Jeonghan clarified, resting a hand atop his on the countertop and Seungcheol was running back to the stove to turn it off and plate their food. 

“I just didn’t want you to get the wrong idea about it all. I know he’s your best friend and I just want you to know that if we do end up dating, I’ll treat him the best. I won’t hurt him or ruin him and if he ever feels like we need to break up then I’ll let him go. I want to make him happy, Jeonghan.” Wonwoo explained and Jeonghan was smiling at him, reaching out to ruffle his dark hair.

“I think you’re already making him happy, Wonwoo. I hope he can make you happy as well. You deserve that more than anyone.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O-oof?

Soonyoung arrived at Seungcheol’s, early Thursday morning in a panic. Seungcheol pulled a hoodie over his head, Wonwoo and Jeonghan following to the door in haste as Soonyoung waited outside.

“Young-ah? What is it? It’s 5:30 in the morning.” Seungcheol groaned, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as Soonyoung came into the corridor, hair a mess and out of breath.

“Cheol, s-someone’s vandalised the salon.” He rushed out, Wonwoo and Jeonghan exchanging a panicked glance. Seungcheol’s jaw dropped before he rushed into action.

“What do you mean ‘vandalised’? Are we talking a bit of graffiti or-” Seungcheol began, grabbing his phone and a pair of jeans from his room. They looked suspiciously like Jeonghan’s. Wonwoo began getting changed as well now, searching through Seungcheol’s files in his guestroom to find the insurance papers.

“We’re talking broken windows and signs of breaking and entering, I didn’t know what to do. I was going to call you but I was so close to your house and- I should’ve just called you from there, I’m sorry.” Soonyoung's words were tumbling over one another and Jeonghan was  trying to calm him down, pulling a sweater over his head and pulling him into a quick embrace. Wonwoo and Seungcheol were back in the corridor now, pulling their shoes on as Jeonghan grabbed a jacket for himself and Seungcheol.

“You’re not coming, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol said firmly and Jeonghan was frowning at him in confusion.

“Well, I am. I can help, I’m taking law  _ and _ business. Both of those fall into what we’re going to investigate, so I’m coming.” Jeonghan said decisively and Seungcheol was standing up now, Soonyoung and Wonwoo moving to the door to wait for them.

“No, Jeonghan, we can handle this. I don’t want you getting hurt, just stay here where you’re safe.” Seungcheol said persistently and Jeonghan was turning away from him, walking to the door with Wonwoo and Soonyoung.

“I’m coming with you, Seungcheol, and that’s final.” Jeonghan persisted, “Besides, isn’t it safer that I’m with a group and not on my own where I’m vulnerable?” Jeonghan shot over his shoulder, guiding Wonwoo down the stairs and to the entrance, leaving Seungcheol and Wonwoo to lock up.

“He has a point, you know.” Wonwoo said, shrugging and handing Seungcheol his jacket as they followed them.

“Wonwoo, I don’t want him getting hurt, it’s not like I don’t want him to come. I value his help and love how much he  _ can _ help in this situation, but if anything happens- Jesus- I don’t know what I’ll end up doing if he gets hurt.” Seungcheol rambled, eyeing Jeonghan as he got in the passenger seat of Soonyoung’s car. 

“You can’t always protect him, Seungcheol. He’s his own person too and he’s sensible, he won’t let himself get hurt.” Wonwoo said, nearing the car and climbing into the backseat.

“Why were you out this early, Soonyoung?” Jeonghan was saying as Seungcheol got into the car, Soonyoung pulling away from the curb the moment his door clicked shut.

“I have class today, but I can skip. I was on- on my way back from Jihoon’s.” Soonyoung spoke, flushing as he explained it, but Jeonghan was smiling at him brightly.

“Soonyoung, you need to go to class. University is expensive and-” Seungcheol began, but Soonyoung was cutting in.

“And I need to get my degree? Yes, yes I know, but one absence isn’t going to curve me into a fail, Cheol-ah.” Soonyoung said, flashing him a look in the rearview mirror. Jeonghan tried not to laugh, he suspected Seungcheol still wasn’t too happy that he was coming with them.

“I’m just saying that we can handle it. I can call Seokmin and-” Seungcheol began, but he was interrupted, this time by his phone ringing. He sighed, pulling it from his pocket and smirking, “Well, good morning, Chan. What are you doing up so early?” Wonwoo was raising an eyebrow at him and Soonyoung was scoffing, shaking his head.

“Hyung! The- you need to-” Chan was rambling, but Seungcheol began shushing him and explaining.

“We’re already on our way. Soonyoung saw it earlier and came to collect us. Don’t touch anything, it’s all evidence.” Seungcheol said, Wonwoo tapping a text out to Seokmin as he listened on, showing Seungcheol the message before he nodded his approval.

“Okay, are you nearly here? I can hear sirens, someone must have called.” Chan responded, looking up and down the high street to check for them.

“We’re at the traffic lights up the street, maybe another 5 minutes. You should go home, Thursday’s are shrink days, right?” Seungcheol spoke and Wonwoo looked up, flashing a look at Soonyoung in the mirror. They exchanged a look, before flicking their eyes to see Jeonghan’s reaction.

“Yes, but not until later-” Chan spoke, hoping his voice didn’t sound as weak to Seungcheol as it did to him.

“Channie, go home and get some rest before your appointment, okay?” Seungcheol said firmly and Wonwoo bit his lip, wincing at the tone of Seungcheol’s voice.

“O-okay, Hyung. I hope you get it s-sorted.” Chan responded, voice shaking this time and Seungcheol immediately felt guilt twisting in his stomach. 

“Get home safely, Chan.” Seungcheol said quietly, voice softer now, no edge to it and Wonwoo was side-eyeing him as he replied to Seokmin’s message. The call ended and Soonyoung was moments from pulling up to the building, Jeonghan was sensing the change of atmosphere in the car and Wonwoo was desperate to hide it.

“Jeonghan, you’ll get to meet Seokmin, he’s going to be down in a bit.” Wonwoo tried, smiling at him as he looked over his shoulder and Jeonghan was grateful for him breaking the increasingly awkward silence.

“Wonwoo, I said I can stay! I’m not going to class.” Soonyoung said roughly, but Jeonghan was turning to him as they pulled up outside the building, Seungcheol already running out onto the sidewalk.

“Soonyoung, come on, we can handle it. I promise. Go to your lessons and if we need your help I promise we’ll call. I’ll personally come and collect you if Seungcheol lends me his car, I promise.” Jeonghan said convincingly, Soonyoung was sighing now. Jeonghan flashed a look over his shoulder as two police cars pulled up and an officer began talking with Wonwoo and Seungcheol.

“Okay, I’ll go to class.” Soonyoung huffed, but it didn’t sound like a hardship. He had a hint of a smile on his lips, “You’re perfect for Seungcheol, it’s scary sometimes.” He added and Jeonghan was blushing, shaking his head as his gaze dropped to his thighs.

“T-thanks.” He muttered and Soonyoung was reaching over to hug him for a beat, taking him by surprise.

“Just- just look after him today. It’s his brother’s birthday.” Soonyoung mumbled into his shoulder and Jeonghan frowned.

“But wasn’t he one of a twin?” Jeonghan uttered, pulling back, confused as Soonyoung nodded.

“Don’t tell him I told you. He doesn’t do birthdays. I mean, at all.” Soonyoung said quietly and Jeonghan nodded, a silent agreement. 

“Thanks, Soonyoung, I owe you one.” Jeonghan replied as they pulled apart, smiling as Soonyoung straightened out his jacket. They bid farewell and Soonyoung drove away as Jeonghan joined Wonwoo and Seungcheol, another boy joining them hurriedly.

“Seokmin, did Chan get home safely?” Seungcheol spoke, the moment Seokmin was beside him. Seokmin smiled softly, nodding at him,

“Yes, don’t worry, I let him in before I left. Jeongyeon is home, she’ll take care of him.” Seokmin said smoothly and even though Seungcheol didn’t look convinced, he nodded, lips pursed and brow furrowed.

“This is Jeonghan.” Wonwoo cut in, guiding Jeonghan towards Seokmin and letting them introduce themselves. Seungcheol stayed quiet.

 

An hour and a half into the endeavour, Jeonghan came of use, taking notes whilst Wonwoo spoke to the insurance company, Seokmin and Seungcheol talking things through with the police in hushed tones. They’d surveyed the damage more times than Jeonghan could count and Seungcheol’s mood had seemed to be declining rapidly. Jeonghan was now perched on the curb beside Wonwoo, scribbling notes as they shared headphones, Wonwoo doing the speaking.

“Hey! Jeonghan! What happened, are you okay?” Jeonghan’s head shot up at the interruption, quickly tearing his earbud out and handing Wonwoo the notes and pen before sighing at the presence of someone he’d been thoroughly avoiding.

“Mingyu, what are you doing here?” Jeonghan asked, coming to meet Mingyu across the street as he got out of his car. Mingyu smiled as he came to greet him.

“I was driving Ava back home, she lives downtown, but forgot to grab some designs from one of her colleagues who lives around here. I was just going to collect them, when I recognised you on the curb. You scared me, I thought you were hurt.” Mingyu said, reaching forward and gripping Jeonghan’s biceps, eyes boring into his as he studied him carefully.

“Oh, no, my b- my friend’s shop was broken into and I came to help with legal matters and things.” Jeonghan said vaguely, internally cringing at the fact he’d stopped himself from saying ‘boyfriend’, why hadn’t he just said it? Mingyu stared at him a beat longer, confusion sweeping his face a moment, still not releasing the hold he had on his arms.

“I didn’t know you had friends with jobs like  _ this _ .” Mingyu said, spite lacing his voice and Jeonghan was feeling venomous now. He breathed once and calmed himself.

“Jobs like what?” Jeonghan decided on feigning ignorance, nothing was better than proving someone so shamefully wrong. Mingyu frowned a moment, hands dropping a moment as he stepped back.

“Well, you know, it’s a little shady. Isn’t it?” Mingyu shrugged and Jeonghan was frowning, mustering every ounce of innocence he could manage before replying,

“Shady? What, like prostitution? Or drug dealing?” Jeonghan replied and Mingyu was shaking his head rapidly, face tinged pink as he stumbled to explain himself.

“N-no, that’s not what I meant, I just-” Mingyu began, but a sudden presence beside them both had him cutting short, face turning to Jeonghan and then back to the man who was now wrapping a hand around Jeonghan’s waist. Seungcheol was bound to have intervened at some point.

“I don’t think we’ve met before, I’m Seungcheol.” Seungcheol leant forward, reaching for Mingyu’s hand and keeping the other firmly on Jeonghan’s waist, squeezing a little tighter.

“Sorry, yes, I’m Mingyu.” Mingyu stuttered, eyes shooting down to the protective hand around Jeonghan’s waist and back up to Jeonghan who was faintly blushing now, “Jeonghan and I studied together in college.” Mingyu continued and Seungcheol watched his every move. They way he stepped back from Jeonghan once Seungcheol had appeared, the prying eyes that flicked between the two of them and the look he gave Jeonghan this very moment, almost pleading.

“Yeah, we shared a dorm back in college.” Jeonghan picked up, eyes flicking between the two of them and Seungcheol seemed to have a predatory look about him that was making Jeonghan uncomfortable. The hand on his waist tightened a little more and Jeonghan held back a yelp, pressing his lips together and turning to Seungcheol to gauge his expression.

“That’s nice, Jeonghan never mentioned you before. You live around here?” Seungcheol asked, voice verging on ice and Jeonghan was trying his best not to pull him aside and say something regrettable.

“Oh, no, my friend just needed me to pick up some work of theirs.” Mingyu said vaguely and Jeonghan was biting back a laugh. Seungcheol, who he’d been dating for less than a week, was falling from his lips with the title ‘boyfriend’, yet Mingyu who’d been dating Ava for almost 3 years was easily dishing the lie of her being his friend.

“Okay, well, I’m afraid I’m going to have to steal Jeonghannie back from you. We have a fair bit of work to do.” Seungcheol smiled, but it wasn’t even close to meeting his eyes, it looked more like a grimace and Jeonghan smiled shyly between them both.

“O-oh, no worries. I’ll- uh- I’ll text you about dinner, Jeonghan.” Mingyu replied and that was when Jeonghan knew that Seungcheol was going to mad. He smiled, waving as Mingyu pulled away and briefly closing his eyes before Seungcheol turned to him. Except, he didn’t. Seungcheol turned away from him, dropping his hand and crossing the street, straight back to the police officers.

“Cheol-ah, wait, can you let me exp-” Jeonghan was beginning, but Seungcheol stopped him, whipping around a little way away from the shop front.

“Jeonghan, I told you not to come. We don’t need your help and you’re only causing me trouble. Just go home.” Seungcheol snapped and Jeonghan recoiled, stepping back as if someone had hit him. Jeonghan didn’t know what to say and Seungcheol was already turning to leave. His voice had decided, at this very moment, to stop working and he found himself staring at Seungcheol’s back in shock, mouth agape and feet frozen. Wonwoo apologised and booked him a cab.

 

There was one thing about being home alone and that was the very fact of being  _ alone _ . Jeonghan unlocked his apartment door with the keycode and stumbled inside. He wasn’t expecting it to be empty, maybe quiet, but not empty. Everyone was supposed to be at uni, but that didn’t mean they would be. He smiled at the clothes strewn across the back of the couch and the tangle of chargers near the plug socket at the TV. The familiar click of shoes from their upstairs neighbour filled the silence and Jeonghan made for the kitchen, he’d start with the dishes. Tidying and cleaning had always helped him clear his head, this seemed perfectly appropriate. His phone chimed, a message from Wonwoo coming through, asking if he got home safe and apologising again. Jeonghan smiled, tapping out a quick response before turning the music up on his headphones and getting to work.

 

Only did it occur to him that it’d been several hours, was when Seungkwan appeared in the doorway, crutches clicking as he made his way into the living room, smiling up at Jeonghan.

“Hyung! I didn’t know you were coming back!” Seungkwan exclaimed, Jihoon beside him as they sat down. Jeonghan smiled down at him, hugging him briefly before ruffling Jihoon’s hair and making him groan.

“I wasn’t supposed to, but I felt like a visit, I missed you.” Jeonghan lied easily and Seungkwan’s smile only faltered when he detected a hint of unease on Jeonghan’s face. 

“What is it?” Seungkwan asked, a little more seriously now, but Jeonghan was a professional at this, he dragged the smile back onto his face, making his eyes draw together a little.

“Oh, I’m just tired, I’ve been cleaning all morning for you lot!” Jeonghan giggled, throwing his arms around the apartment and Seungkwan was smiling again, but it didn’t meet his eyes.

“Well, you can take a rest if you like, we’ll wake you for dinner when Jisoo-hyung and Hansol come home.” Seungkwan replied and Jihoon nodded in agreement. Thinking about it now, Jeonghan really could do with a rest. He nodded his thanks and left for his room, pausing at the full-length mirror for a beat. Seungcheol’s hoodies really did look bigger on him.

 

Wonwoo was going to lose his mind if Seungcheol snapped at him one more time. They’d been with the police almost all day and Wonwoo was handling all expenses of damaged equipment with the insurance company over the phone. He hated thinking about how high his bill would be at the end of the call. Seokmin was running errands, taking notes and consulting Seungcheol, unfortunately being on the end of the majority of the snapping.

“Can we just call Jeonghan back? He was better when Jeonghan was here.” Seokmin groaned, sitting down beside Wonwoo as he hung up from cancelling a client’s appointment.

“He was the one who sent him home. If Seungcheol doesn’t want someone here, he’ll tell them.” Wonwoo replied and Seokmin was sighing in agreement and annoyance.

“If he snaps at me once more, I’m going cry or something. I’m seriously losing my mind.” Seokmin whined, kicking his feet out and throwing an arc of gravel over a drain grate. Wonwoo smiled at him sympathetically, resting a hand on his forearm, opening his mouth to reply before being interrupted.

“The police are done here. They’re sending clean-up over and they’ll continue investigating, but we’re free to go. I’ll call a cab.” Seungcheol said icily and Wonwoo stood up in haste, papers scattering on the sidewalk and Seokmin began picking them up.

“O-okay,” Wonwoo said abruptly, “I’m waiting on the insurance company to call back, they said they’ll-” He continued, Seokmin handing him the papers and Seungcheol cutting him off.

“Let’s just talk about it later, okay?” He spoke decisively. Wonwoo retracted, eyes falling to the tarmac as he nodded. Seungcheol left with a sigh, calling the taxi and pacing on the sidewalk.

“Have you called Jeonghan?” Seokmin asked once Seungcheol was out of earshot and Wonwoo shook his head.

“I just texted to ask if he got home alright. He said he did and Joshua said he’s home now and that Jeonghan’s in bed.” Wonwoo sighed. He must be upset, he’d never seen this side of Seungcheol and, in all honesty, it was a rare occurrence, but that didn’t make it any easier for Jeonghan.

“Soonyoung said he’s going back to Jihoon’s for dinner, but to call if we need any help.” Seokmin added, shoving a hand in his jacket pocket to grab at his phone, “I’m sure he’s fine, but I’ll call my sister to check she’s still with Chan.” He continued and Wonwoo nodded, letting him walk a little way down the street to make the call. Wonwoo stood frozen for a moment before he decided to call Jeonghan, the tone dialling almost to the answer-phone before Jeonghan picked up, voice groggy.

“Jeonghan? How are you?” Wonwoo asked, biting his nails as he thought about the way Seungcheol had treated him earlier. Jeonghan wasn’t a kid.

“Oh, Wonwoo,” He spoke softly and Wonwoo smiled, “I’m okay, how’s it all going?” He asked, but Wonwoo detected the unease in his voice, the hesitance and the silent question of how Seungcheol was doing.

“He’ll be fine,” Wonwoo answered the indirect question and Jeonghan smiled at how he’d read between the lines, “It’s lucky you went, he’s getting snappy now.” Wonwoo said quietly, eyeing Seungcheol as he paced, further up the street.

“Hm, yeah.” There was silence for a moment and Jeonghan sighed, “Wonwoo, as his friend, can you just tell me I wasn’t being out of place? Was I being clingy? It’s been on my mind all day.” Jeonghan continued and Wonwoo shook his head with a smile.

“Trust me, Jeonghan, you were fine. Seungcheol just- he just gets like this sometimes. It’s a rough day for him today.” Wonwoo said with a sigh, not knowing if Jeonghan was already aware.

“Soonyoung told me earlier. I just wanted to be there for him, I don’t know.” Jeonghan replied, sighing in distress and Wonwoo could tell he was overthinking things.

“Just let him come back to you, he will, just give him some time. Things can get a little overwhelming at times for him and he isn’t always the best at reading people, but he’ll come back to you.” Wonwoo tried to explain and Jeonghan nodded, knowing he couldn’t see him, but he really did appreciate Wonwoo’s words.

“Thanks, Wonwoo. Just- just let him know that he can come over if and when he wants to.” He paused, but Wonwoo knew he needed a moment to gather his thoughts, “He won’t answer my texts or calls.” Jeonghan said shortly, Wonwoo sighed in aggravation. Typical. This was just like him. Seungcheol always was insensitive of everyone else when he got like this.

“I’m sorry, Jeonghan. And I’ll let him know.” Wonwoo responded and Jeonghan sighed, thanking him and hanging up after Wonwoo assured him he’d stay the night at Seungcheol’s.

 

The following day had Jeonghan calling and Seungcheol not answering.

The day after had Seungkwan hugging Jeonghan into his chest as Hansol made dinner, trying his best to block out Jeonghan’s sobs.

 

A week later brought Jeonghan to Seungcheol’s apartment door, trying not to cry as Seungcheol silently watched him through the intercom. Wonwoo stood behind him in the corridor, angrily gritting his teeth before Seungcheol turned to push past him, back to the bedroom that had once been occupied by Jeonghan.

 

When four weeks swung around, Seungkwan finally realised the worst had become reality. Seungcheol wasn’t coming back. Jeonghan had missed class. His arms and shoulders were skinny now, his frame having lost muscle and weight from starving himself and Hansol had lost count of the times Jeonghan refused dinner. It was freezing outside and Jeonghan had called in sick everyday, using the weather as an excuse for the flu he ‘had’.

Seungkwan leant against the doorframe, pulling his knees to his chest as he sighed. He’d often end up here on evenings that Hansol worked late or studied with Jihoon and Soonyoung at the communal library. Jisoo had made himself comfortable, living on their couch for the time being, hoping his childhood friend might appear from his presence. Tonight he’d been asked out, some place that Seungkwan hadn’t heard of, but a club nonetheless. Seungkwan leant back,

“Hyung? How are you doing?” He asked and even after four weeks, he didn’t expect a response, but somewhere in the back of his mind he prayed that maybe this would be the time, “I miss you.” He added, the only response being silence. Most days Jeonghan would sleep, most likely not even hearing him, but Seungkwan didn’t mind, it just felt good to get it out of his system, “Hansol’s studying late again. It’s a shame you won’t come out to help me with dinner, I think Soonyoung and Jihoon might come back to eat with us. Maybe you could come and join us?” He paused again, hope dying in his throat as he realised that tonight wouldn’t be the night Jeonghan decided to join them. Jeonghan loved cooking with the others, he loved to see people’s faces when he made something delicious for them, “Wonwoo called me.” A shuffling came from the other side of the door and although it was faint, it was there, “He said that Ch-cheol was unwell.” He said vaguely and that was the best he could do. Jeonghan wasn’t ready to hear that Seungcheol had passed out on the kitchen floor after drinking his cupboards dry whilst Wonwoo was out. Seungkwan swallowed dryly, “He must miss you too.” and the distant sound of sobbing could be heard through the gap under the door. Seungkwan left reluctantly.

 

The fifth week brought Jeonghan out of his room on a regular basis now. Hansol would wake up for school to find Jeonghan sipping coffee and replying to emails from his teachers. He wouldn’t talk much, a simple nod sufficed and Seungkwan was still wary around him. Jisoo treated him like he might break and Jeonghan wasn’t even surprised. He was still not attending lessons, but every few days he’d ask Jisoo to take a book out from the library or return one he’d had on loan. It was progress- in comparison to Seungcheol, that was.

Seungcheol, on the other hand, would walk circles in his apartment and Wonwoo would make him coffee that would go cold before Seungcheol could drink it. Seokmin came some days and Dino would join him other days, but Seungcheol couldn’t remember how to speak to them like they weren’t strangers. These days, Seungcheol would sleep on the couch. Wonwoo suspected it was because the memories of Jeonghan were attached to those sheets as much as the scent of him clung to them.

 

Jeonghan would give in soon. He’d given up long ago, but not given in- you see- there was a difference between giving up and giving in. Jeonghan had given up contacting Seungcheol, long ago now, maybe after the second week, because as Wonwoo said, ‘he’ll come back to you, just give him time’. But six weeks was longer than he could bear and that was where ‘giving in’ came to be. Giving in was the equivalent of not putting up a fight when someone made to out-buy your house in  _ Monopoly _ . So, Jeonghan did exactly that. He stopped putting up a fight and asked Hansol to drop him to Seungcheol’s apartment and wait outside. Wonwoo answered the door, eyes bright and momentarily shocked as he saw Jeonghan on the intercom. He was quick to buzz him up, throwing a look over his shoulder at Seungcheol who was sat motionless, watching an anime on TV. Jeonghan stood, unblinking, as Wonwoo opened the door to him, stepping outside and pulling the door shut behind him.

“J-Jeonghan?” Wonwoo whispered and Jeonghan pulled a smile on to his face, tucking his hair behind his ear, “What are you-? How are you doing?” Wonwoo settled with another question, a more polite question. Jeonghan huffed out a soft laugh, answering his unfinished question instead,

“I came to see Seungcheol. Only for a minute, I just wanted to end things properly.” Jeonghan said quietly, his face was back to that neutral expression and Wonwoo couldn’t help but feel like Jeonghan had rehearsed this.

“Oh, o-okay.” Wonwoo said, pushing the door open and stepping aside for Jeonghan to come in, Seungcheol had never said he had to send Jeonghan away, “Come in.” Jeonghan nodded and followed through, sliding his shoes off before he spoke,

“Hansol is waiting outside for me, I won’t be long.” He said shortly and Wonwoo nodded, understanding that Jeonghan wanted some time alone with Seungcheol.

Wonwoo left a moment later and Jeonghan paused in the hallway, letting his breathing fall even before he walked the rest of the short corridor to the living room.

“Woo-ah?” Seungcheol’s voice met Jeonghan, croaky and hoarse, like he’d been yelling for a very long time. He appeared in the hallway and Jeonghan stopped walking, taking in his dishevelled appearance, the low lighting emphasising the dark circles beneath his eyes, the gaunt shape of his cheekbones and his stark, white skin in the dark, “Jeonghan?” He mumbled in surprise and Jeonghan walked a little slower now, as if approaching a rabid animal.

“Seungcheol.” He said civilly and Seungcheol flinched away as if he’d been hit. Jeonghan had never used that tone with him, it sounded strange coming from his lips, “I came so we could talk, I won’t be here long.” Seungcheol swallowed, leading them into the living room and sitting across from one another on the couch.

“You look-” Seungcheol wanted to say ‘beautiful’ but the word died on his tongue, “Different. You dyed your hair?” He asked, stating the obvious in an attempt at easing the tension.

“Yes, I felt I needed a change.” Jeonghan said smoothly and Seungcheol hated how composed he was, how robotic this all seemed. There was silence for a moment and Seungcheol could feel the atmosphere shift before Jeonghan even began speaking again, “I want to start by saying that I’m not sorry.” He paused and Seungcheol almost had the audacity to look shocked, but really, how could he?

“Why would you be? I was the one that did wrong.” Seungcheol replied, equally as smoothly now. Jeonghan didn’t flinch and their eye contact never wavered for even a moment.

“I’m glad you know.” Jeonghan said, ice lacing his voice, “I also want to say that I don’t want to try and fix this.” And as hard as that part was for him to say, he showed no expression other than stern composure. Seungcheol looked taken aback, eyes finally flitting to the ground as he tried to hold back his tears. When Jeonghan had first decided what he wanted to say to Seungcheol, he had cried every time those words passed his lips, but now he was immune. He felt nothing.

“You won’t even wait for me to try and explain myself?” Seungcheol wondered aloud and he really had hoped to have kept that in his brain, but looking at Jeonghan now, he figured he’d failed.

“You had six weeks to explain yourself. What was wrong with those six weeks?” Jeonghan said smoothly and Seungcheol flinched again, retracting a little as he turned the words over in his head.

“I thought you’d hate me.” He replied meekly and Jeonghan scoffed, sarcasm burning through. 

“It’s easy to hate someone, Seungcheol. So, why is it that you think I should let you have it easy?” Jeonghan spoke harsher now, but his voice maintained its pitch, a steady rhythm to it that frightened Seungcheol. 

“Because you once told me that you were falling in love with me.” Seungcheol surprised himself this time and Jeonghan was knocked off guard, eyes wide and mouth dropping in disbelief. He wasn’t ready for a curve-ball this early on. It was a beat before he composed himself again, brushing his hair out of his face and diverting his eyes from Seungcheol’s,

“I never said that.” Jeonghan said sternly and Seungcheol knew he was lying, he knew that Jeonghan remembered, that he’d played it over in his head until it made him sick. He knew that he still believed himself to have the upper-hand in this.

“You never were very good at lying, darling.” Seungcheol smiled sadly and Jeonghan was gritting his teeth now, closing his eyes to push away the times that name had been passed between the two of them.

“Don’t call me that.” He grit out and Seungcheol nodded slowly, almost apologetically as Jeonghan opened his eyes. There was silence for another moment and Jeonghan wondered if Seungcheol would do something stupid- cry or beg or try to kiss him, but he simply sat still, staring at the fabric of the couch, “I came to say goodbye.” He finally settled on and Seungcheol looked up in shock.

“What do you mean?” He asked, knowing it would be a break up, but there was something underlying Jeonghan’s words. Something that put Seungcheol on edge.

“I’m leaving town, and before you ask, it isn’t just because of you. I’m not pathetic, Seungcheol, I can still live in the same town as my ex.” Jeonghan explained sourly and Seungcheol breathed in a jagged breath. The door latch suddenly clicked open and Jeonghan sighed in annoyance, looking over his shoulder towards the hall, “Wonwoo, please just give us another five minutes and then you can-”

“J-Jeonghan,” Seungcheol suddenly stuttered out and from his seat he could see that the person at the door was not Wonwoo, so very far from Wonwoo, “Get to my room and call the police.” He whispered now and Jeonghan was rolling his eyes in anger, standing to his feet in aggravation and chagrin.

“This is why I can’t have a conversation with you, Seungcheol. You’re not even listening to what I have to s-” Jeonghan began, making his way to the hallway, but Seungcheol was lunging forward, pushing Jeonghan behind him as he faced the man in the doorway. It wasn’t long before Jeonghan realised what was happening and suddenly his eyes were trained on a handgun and the ricochet of a bullet was flicking through the air. Everything seemed to become hyper-real. One moment had the man at the end of the corridor smiling dirtily, the next had Seungcheol collapsing on the ground and suddenly the man was in front of him, a cloth covering his nose and mouth before he could even fight.

 

Jeonghan didn’t know how much time had passed, but the smell of gasoline was intoxicating. He blinked in the darkness, trying to turn on his side but being stopped by a bundle of clothing. Trying to reach for the anything around him was as much of a challenge as it was to scream. His mouth was gagged and his hands were zip-tied behind his back and it seemed like there was more than just one zip-tie. Using his feet, Jeonghan tried his best to scope out where he was, shuffling in the confined space before he felt something damp and sticky under his fingers. He pressed his back into the clothing and suddenly everything fell into place. His scream was muffled by the gag and in a horrible twist of fate, Jeonghan realised that Seungcheol was laying beside him, bleeding out from a bullet wound. The worst part was that he didn’t know whether he was dead or alive.

It wasn’t too much longer that Jeonghan realised another significant feature of his surroundings- he was beside Seungcheol in the trunk of a car. This he knew was down to the smell of gasoline and the the close proximity to the tank, but also down to the car sickness that was churning in Jeonghan’s stomach. He’d managed to turn his back on Seungcheol, feeling down his unconscious body to place his hands on the bullet wound in an attempt at applying pressure. At this point he was afraid that Seungcheol might even be past saving. He cried until he couldn’t then he retched until his throat burned. 

The trunk was finally opened, three men in balaclavas standing over them as Jeonghan lay in his vomit and Seungcheol’s blood. That was the moment he realised that no one was coming to save them. He looked up at the men, hands pressing deeper into Seungcheol’s wound before he was wrenched from the trunk by his hair. His eyes burned and he screeched into the gag as he felt a chunk of his hair rip from his scalp.

“Shame. You could’ve been pretty.” One of the men spoke, Jeonghan catching a glance of Seungcheol’s pale, motionless face before he was whisked away into a cold warehouse.

“Shall we leave the other one?” Another man spoke to his right and Jeonghan whipped his head to look at him. He seemed to have appeared from behind a cluster of shipping containers not too far off.

“He’ll bleed out before Young-Il gets his hands on him.” The first man replied and Jeonghan began thrashing now, trying his best to free himself or scream or get anyone’s attention.

“Don’t waste your energy- God knows- you’ll need it.” One of the other men spoke sadistically and Jeonghan was glad he couldn’t ask why. 

The warehouse was colder than the nighttime weather outside and the smell of gasoline was running through the building just like the it had in the trunk. Jeonghan tried to adjust his eyes to the light, a blue tint running overhead and his head was spinning now, burning behind his eyelids.

“Where’s the other one?” A voice came from across the warehouse, echoing off the walls and the men stopped, all turning to where the voice had come from and bowing in greeting.

“We left him in the trunk. Hyun-Ki shot him, so he’ll probably bleed out before you’re even done with this one.” The man on his left spoke, the one that had said Jeonghan ‘could’ve been pretty’. The man, Youn-Il it must be, stepped forward out of the shadows to meet Jeonghan.

“Blood in my trunk? Couldn’t you be more considerate?” He spoke, but his eyes never left Jeonghan’s. Instead, he reached forward, untying the gag from Jeonghan’s mouth with a raised eyebrow. This close, Jeonghan had a better view of him and- in fact- he wasn’t bad looking. Young-Il must have been ten years older than him at the most, dark almond shaped eyes and glossy black hair. He had a sharp jaw and three piercings in each ear, he was almost handsome, almost, “You checked he was dead, yes?” Young-Il added and the four men looked between themselves as he pulled the fabric from Jeonghan’s teeth.

“I- I’ll check.” The smallest man jogged to the doors, pulling them open and shutting them behind him as he did so. Young-Il rolled his eyes in distress, tossing the gag to the floor,

“And who ruined my play-thing?” He asked, tilting Jeonghan’s jaw in his hands, eyeing the exposed scalp from where his hair had been pulled from.

“That was also Hyun-Ki.” One of the other men spoke, making Hyun-Ki throw him a dark look. Young-Il finally switched his eyes away from Jeonghan’s, slow and torturous as he eyed ‘Hyun-Ki’. 

“Why would you do such a thing?” Young-Il spoke and Jeonghan couldn’t bring himself to speak now that his gag wasn’t between his teeth.

“He was making a fuss.” Hyun-Ki said shortly, shrugging as he spoke and Young-Il didn’t look impressed.

“You actually pulled his hair out before he even started making a fuss, so, shut the fuck up.” The man on Jeonghan’s right was speaking now and Young-Il was starting to look frustrated. He held a hand up, pursing his lips and closing his eyes a beat.

“Who are you?” Jeonghan finally managed and his brain was cursing him for that question.  _ Why hadn’t he started begging for his life or pleading or negotiating?  _ Young-Il turned back to him, eyes opening slowly as he stepped forward,

“Young-Il, my darling, but you can call me Hyung for now.” Young-Il spoke slowly and Jeonghan hated the way his lips twisted into a slow smile, sleazy, yet soft. He really might have been pretty if he weren’t an actual terrorist.

“What do you want from me?” Jeonghan choked out and his eyes were burning now, thinking back to Seungcheol in the trunk. He was probably dead by now, he’d looked dead, so why was he trying to buy anymore time for himself? If Seungcheol was dead then he’d die too, that’s what he’d decided, so why was he asking more questions?

“What do I want from you?” Young-Il reiterated his words, smiling softly and gently cupping Jeonghan’s face, eyes darker and more intense now. In a swift movement Young-Il was reaching forward, pressing his lips softly against Jeonghan’s, running his tongue along the seam of Jeonghan’s mouth, “My darling, I merely want your life.” Young-Il muttered against his lips and the three other men were looking away, staring to the ground as Young-Il lapped at his mouth again, tasting him on his tongue. Jeonghan could taste grit and mint and something sour on his lips and tongue and he wondered whether there might be an ulterior motive here.    
“Why did you- why did you do that?” Jeonghan finally managed to get out after the shock had subsided a little. Young-Il simply smiled, switching his eyes up to Jeonghan’s and back down to his lips,

“Curiosity killed the cat,” He leant down again, the three men now releasing Jeonghan’s arms and leaving the room, one dragging a chair along the floor to place behind Jeonghan, “But satisfaction brought it back.” Young-Il finished, studying Jeonghan for a moment longer.

“I don’t understand. I thought you wanted Cheol and I to experience some pathetically long, drawn-out death, so why is it just me that’s here?” Jeonghan asked, scanning the room before Young-Il pushed him back to sit on the chair behind him.

“Well, that was the plan, until I saw you.” He paused, circling Jeonghan once before he rearranging his long trench coat, “Seungcheol I wasn’t so fussed about. I just wanted him dead, shot, stabbed, strangled, I don’t care.” Jeonghan hiccuped on a sob, swallowing at the thought of Seungcheol’s limp body, blood-stained in the trunk of a car, “But you- there was something different.” He paused again and Jeonghan looked up at him as he stopped in front of him again.

“What do you mean?” Jeonghan whispered hoarsely and he really was crying now, tears blurring his vision as his sobs echoed around them.

“What I mean is that you weren’t from Osaka. You weren’t Japanese, you were a foreigner. You didn’t know where to go, how to get there or who to tell about the situation. You were vulnerable and-” Young-Il began, but Jeonghan was interrupting now, desperate and delirious and Seungcheol was  _ dead _ .

“I was a child! Seungcheol was a child. Of course we were vulnerable!” Jeonghan screeched and his voice bounced off the walls, but Young-Il didn’t flinch. He leant forward, levelling his face with Jeonghan’s,

“I was still a child, but I was put in charge of something so much bigger than just me. Don’t fool yourself, Jeonghan.” Young-Il said softly and that was the most terrifying thing to Jeonghan. 

“Then why am I still mixed up in all this? Why am I here and why do you want to kill-” Jeonghan began, but Young-Il was flicking a butterfly knife out, studying it vigorously before pulling the blade across Jeonghan’s cheekbone, revelling in the whimper he tried to contain.

“Watch your mouth, you wouldn’t want to get hurt.” Young-Il said quietly and Jeonghan shivered, blood dripping down his face and sliding over his throat. The sound of the warehouse door sliding open startled Jeonghan and the both of them switched their gaze to the figure standing at the door. That was the moment, the pocket of time that Jeonghan had and couldn’t lose. He swung his leg up with as much force as he could manage, kicking his leg right into Young-Il’s crotch and making for the door before Young-Il could recover. He keeled over, Jeonghan watching a brief moment before sprinting towards the night sky and that damned silhouette in the doorway, but the closer he got, the more afraid he became. This wasn’t one of the other men that he could roundhouse kick, nor was it Seungcheol- yes, the thought had crossed his mind- no, this was something far worse. He slowed to a stop, eyes wide in shock and fear, the man leant down to his height, a few inches taller than him.

“Hello, brother.”


	7. Chapter 7

Jeonghan used to be a great believer in fresh-starts. He had the same mindset whenever he was passed onto a new foster family- this was a fresh start. Every year on new years eve, he’d make a list of things he’d want to achieve in the new year and, more often than not, he’d get them all done. One thing he wasn’t good at was surprises. He loathed them with his whole being. Surprise birthdays, surprise gifts, even the word ‘surprise’ was too much for him to cope with. Maybe it all led back to Osaka and the fact that he was surprised to have almost died, maybe he just associated surprises with bad things. But standing here now, he knew that surprises really were the worst. Not much had changed, really, she looked similar. At uttering that greeting, Jeonghan had another surprise. That was the sound of a gunshot, ricocheting through the air as his sisters body collapsed to the ground one word falling from her lips as she did so, ‘Run’. So, Jeonghan ran. He ran to the trunk of the car he’d come from and swung it shut, Seungcheol still laying there, eyes shut and unmoving before he ran his tied wrists along the blade that lay on the passenger seat. The sound of yelling came from behind him and he fumbled for the blade after the zip-ties tore from his wrists, bloody and chaffed from where he’d slit his skin in the process. He reached for the blade again, jamming it in the ignition and hitting it there with a rock from the ground.

“Come on, Goddamnit,” Jeonghan cursed through gritted teeth and with a moment more he was twisting the blade, begging the car to start as he revved the engine. Once, twice and the third time was the charm. He pulled into shift and pressed his foot on the accelerator, wrists dripping on to his thighs as he pulled away from the warehouse, driving down dark alleyways before he saw, what looked like, a main road, “Stay with me Cheol-ah, please. It’s all I ask of you, I won’t ever bother you again, please, just be  _ alive _ .” Jeonghan called to no one in particular and he was sure that Seungcheol couldn’t hear him, but he begged that some of the Gods would, any God. He pulled onto the highway, driving as fast as the rackety mustang could manage and hoping he’d come to a gas station or layby that had a phone. Between Seungcheol surviving and finding a phone, Jeonghan swore he’d never ask for anything again from the Gods. He would die if it meant Seungcheol could live, but he knew that Seungcheol would do the same for him and right now it was looking as if he might be. 

It was maybe 20 minutes before Jeonghan pulled over, running to the trunk to lift Seungcheol’s body out of the trunk and into the backseat. He was just about to pull Seungcheol into his arms until he noticed a phone just beside his head, Jeonghan’s phone. It must have fallen when Jeonghan was dragged from the trunk by his hair and, he had honestly never been so grateful in his life. He sat at the edge of the trunk, clicking it on and feeling for Seungcheol’s pulse- uneven and barely there, but he was still alive. The Gods must have taken pity. 

“Okay, Cheol-ah, just a little-” Jeonghan began, unlocking his phone, only to be faced with five outgoing calls that Jeonghan was sure he hadn’t made. Two were to Wonwoo, one was to Jisoo, one to Hansol and the last to Seungkwan. He tapped on Jisoo’s contact once more, eyes watering as he stared back up the highway in fear, “P-please pick up, Jisoo.” Three tones went by. 

“Jeonghan? Fucking stay where you are, don’t move, don’t let your phone die. We’re coming, the police are tracking your phone and-” Jisoo was rushing out, not even bothering to check if it was Jeonghan.

“He’s going to die. Seungcheol, he’s going to die, please- hurry up. I have to-to keep driving, they’re going to come after us and-” Jeonghan was rambling, delirious and weary and staring so hard at Seungcheol that he was sure to feel his gaze.

“Jeonghan! Calm down, we’re almost with you. Keep driving if you have to, but don’t you fucking dare look back.” Jisoo paused and Jeonghan could make out some muffled voices.    
“Jeonghan? Tell me about Seungcheol, what is his condition?” It was Soonyoung now, his voice shaky yet determined. Jeonghan let out a shaky breath.

“B-Blood, there’s a- a lot of blood.” Jeonghan stuttered, tears falling faster now and the more he looked at Seungcheol the more he seemed to be dying, “His shoulder- the bullet got him in his shoulder.” 

“Which shoulder, Jeonghan.” Soonyoung, urgency lacing his voice now.

“R-right shoulder, n-near his chest a bit.” Jeonghan managed and Soonyoung was breathing low, a little relieved.

“Okay, you’re going to need to make this quick, because there’s probably a lot of blood already lost. Do you have something sharp? A blade?” Soonyoung asked, rushing himself now as he spoke to Jeonghan.

“Y-yes, it’s in the ignition. I have to keep the car running.” Jeonghan explained and Soonyoung nodded in understanding.

“That’s okay. You need to start by undressing him, be gentle and make sure to support his neck. Just like you would with a newborn, okay?” Soonyoung explained, Jeonghan agreeing and beginning to unbutton Seungcheol’s shirt, thanking him for wearing a plaid button-down and not a hoodie, “I know there’s going to be a lot of blood, but just make sure there’s nothing big that might cause infection on the wound. I’m expecting it to be infected, but we can try and avoid anything major.” Soonyoung added and Jeonghan bit his lip. There was a lot of blood. He knew there would be, but the stain was seeping through Seungcheol’s shirt, sliding over his ribs and down on to the carpet of the trunk.

“There- there’s nothing, just a lot of blood. Soo-Soonyoung, I don’t know what to do, he looks so pale a-and his fingers are clammy and he keeps breathing faster-” Jeonghan was panicking now, Seungcheol’s bloody shirt squeezed into his hands as he tensed, trying not to begin hyperventilating.

“I know, Jeonghan, I know. You need to listen to what I say, alright?” Soonyoung said soothingly, “His body has gone into Hypovolemic shock which means the blood loss might cause some irregularities like his breathing and clammy skin like you just said. You’re doing really well, Jeonghan, keep telling me anything about his symptoms.” He knew it was stupid, he knew he was talking to Jeonghan like he were a toddler, but this was what Jeonghan needed. He needed calm. Jeonghan needed to be reassured that he could save Seungcheol, that he had to.

“He isn’t moving, he hasn’t moved. Did he call you earlier?” Jeonghan suddenly remembered the outgoing calls and his brain worked in overdrive.

“Yes, he spoke to Jisoo a moment, but he passed out so we called the police. Now, Jeonghan, you need to listen to me and do what I say.” Soonyoung said and this really was getting difficult, “Clean around his wound with his shirt, then I want you to tear the dry parts of the fabric into a wide strip.” He explained slowly and Jeonghan nodded, hands shaking as he cleaned Seungcheol’s chest, his blood staining his hands and forearms in the process.

“O-okay.” Jeonghan stuttered out, brain going foggy and suddenly the one sound he’d dreaded hearing came. Behind him, further up the highway was another car, a car from outside the warehouse. He’d caught a glimpse of it beside a shipping container when he’d been dragged into the warehouse, “S-Soonyoung- I have to go- they’re here.” Jeonghan suddenly got out, cursing and pulling Seungcheol’s limp body into his arms as he kicked open the backseat door, gently laying him across the double seat.

“Jeonghan? You needed to tie his wound, you have to stop the bleeding. Just tie it across his shoulder and under his opposite arm, as far down the torso as you can. Be quick, Jeonghan.” Soonyoung said with urgency and Jeonghan was beginning to panic. He fumbled with the fabric, slicing it from the underside of the blade that was still jammed in the ignition.

“Soo-Soonyoung, I’m-” Jeonghan began, hiccuping over a sob as he lifted Seungcheol’s lower back off the seats, sliding the fabric underneath, “I’m scared.” He didn’t want to admit it, didn’t want to sob or make a fuss, no, he wanted to be strong for Seungcheol.

“I know, Jeonghannie, you’re doing so well.” Soonyoung said, Jeonghan’s sobs filling the line as he tied the shirt, hands shaking vigorously. He could hear the engine now, smell the dirt kicking up from the underside of the vehicle nearing them.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” Jeonghan cursed, slamming the backseat dear shut and shutting the trunk before he jumped into the driver’s seat, his phone on speaker beside Seungcheol’s head. He pulled away from the layby, pressing hard on the gas and eyeing his wing-mirror, “Soonyoung? Ho-how far are you?” Jeonghan added, voice wavering as the car behind him matched his pace. He was going to die. 

“I don’t know, Hannie, just keep driving.” Soonyoung said firmly. An unidentifiable voice spoke in the background, maybe over a radio, Jeonghan thought,

“They’re on to me, Young-ah, I-I’m going to die aren’t I?” Jeonghan stuttered and voicing it was so much easier than he’d thought- that, alone was terrifying to admit. Seungcheol stirred in the backseat, spluttering as he fell in and out of consciousness. He must have been doing this for a while in the trunk but Jeonghan was now seeing and, Jesus, did he sound helpless. Reaching back, he felt for Seungcheol’s hand, squeezing it for his own reassurance, and flashing a look behind him in the wing mirror. 

“I won’t let you die just yet, Jeonghannie.” It was Joshua now and his voice seemed firmer than Jeonghan would’ve liked in this situation, but his heart was in it and that was all that he could focus on. 

“I hate to ruin the moment, but there should be a turning up on your right in a minute, pull in and stop driving-” Jihoon was speaking now, voice steady as he pulled the phone from Joshua’s hands, eyeing the navigator and reiterating the policeman’s words that he’d received through the static radio. 

“Jihoon, I can’t just stop driving, they’ll-” Jeonghan began but Jihoon was interrupting him in now. 

“Jeonghan, do as I say. Don’t look back, just stop driving. I promise you, we won’t let you get hurt.” Jihoon finally clarified and as much as Jeonghan wanted to throw Jihoon in a room with the very people on Jeonghan’s tail, he nodded and hummed an agreement. A little further ahead was the turning and Jeonghan pressed his foot down now, desperate to get there faster, sooner; anything to throw them off. 

“Whatever you do, don’t look back, okay?” It was Joshua again and Jeonghan was beginning to worry.  _ How bad really was it?  _

“Okay,” Jeonghan replied carefully, gritting his teeth as he veered into the turning Jihoon had mentioned, “I won’t look back.” Jihoon seemed to be talking with the officer over the intercom again and Jeonghan couldn’t help but think that he was out of the loop of something important until Joshua suddenly spoke up. 

“Jeonghan, stop driving.” His voice was calm but Jeonghan wouldn’t have known better, for he was too busy preparing his last words or Seungcheol’s and his own joint funeral or something equally as dark. Jeonghan braked, squeezing his eyes shut and reaching for Seungcheol’s hand again, feeling his fingers squeeze back this time. 

“I love you, Cheollie,” Jeonghan whispered and although it felt like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, for once in his life, he didn’t feel ready to die. For once, he wanted a future and he wanted it to be with Seungcheol and he wanted to grow old and have kids and maybe a dog and live in a pretty cottage outside of town, Seungcheol right beside him the whole time. He wanted to be the one to wake Seungcheol up with kisses or be made breakfast that was actually edible, he wanted to kiss Seungcheol slowly in the shower and when he got home from work or when they got coffee in his break or when they looked at their first child. He wanted to know how it felt to have Seungcheol underneath him, whining and crying out in desperation as Jeonghan rocked into him for once. He wanted to know how Seungcheol would look when he made him moan, touched him just right, hit a little too deep. He wanted the cold winter nights with Seungcheol’s messy hair and soft features and every summer day where Seungcheol would strip down to his boxers, hickeys on show as he lounged around the apartment with Jeonghan in his kitchen or shower or bed. He wanted to have Christmas with Seungcheol, wanted to be proposed to under the scattered Christmas lights and kissed slowly under the mistletoe and Jeonghan would cry when Seungcheol pulled him into his chest, arms looping his waist and lips finding his neck. And that was when Jeonghan knew he couldn’t die. If he was shot, he’d fight through the searing pain, stabbed and he’d tear the knife from his bloody body, blown up and he’d piece himself back together. And behind him was something akin to his final decision. Behind him there were helicopters and fire engines and police cars and suddenly an ear bursting  _ bang! _ Jeonghan kept his eyes shut and Seungcheol groaned quietly, almost as if he were unfurling after a long winter of hibernation. Then he was speaking,

“I love you too, Hannie.” Voice cracking and broken as he felt around the words. Seungcheol was alive and Jeonghan was breaking down.

 

It felt like an eternity before the nurse appeared back in his room again, but suddenly she was here, standing in the doorway as a stream of people rushed past her towards Jeonghan’s bed, 

 

_ “Fucking hell-” _

_ “I’m so glad you’re-” _

_ “- okay, you’re alright-” _

_ “- now that you’re here and Seungcheol-” _

_ “-will be fine, don’t worry, everything will be alright, I-” _

_ “-promised you that I wouldn’t let you get hurt, Jeonghan.”  _

 

Everyone was speaking at once and Jeonghan couldn’t clear his head enough to place the voice with the person. His eyes felt heavy and there seemed to be a cable connected to the inside of his elbow,  _ who put that there? _ Soonyoung looked at him carefully, pushing the others away from him with a frown as he observed Jeonghan’s response.

“Quiet, he’s not stable yet.” Soonyoung’s frown was pulling deeper and Jihoon was on his heels, gripping his sleeve in anxiety, “Jeonghan? Are you okay?” He tried simple questions now, voice softer than everyone else’s had been, but it still seemed so loud. Jeonghan blinked up at him in shock, almost like he’d forgotten the nurse had even appeared back in the doorway just a matter of minutes ago.

“I’m-I’m tired.” Jeonghan said shortly and as he thought about it, he didn’t actually know how he’d got here. He had no recollection of the time between holding Seungcheol’s hand in the car and waiting for the nurse to get back, “What happened to Seungcheol?” He suddenly asked, voice a little too urgent and Jihoon sounded like he might have gasped, but things weren’t quite clear yet and maybe this was actually all some sort of hallucination.

“He’s fine, he’s okay, Jeonghan.” Soonyoung spoke again and maybe it  _ was _ a hallucination, there was something unreal about it all. Soonyoung was back in his line of vision again, eyes squinted as he observed Jeonghan carefully.

“Young-ah? What is it?” Jihoon asked from behind him and when Jeonghan snapped his eyes towards him he realised that Jisoo was standing there as well, another figure beside him, maybe two or three figures. His brain was stopping anymore information for now.

“Jisoo, go and get an officer.” Soonyoung had a little more urgency now and Hansol frowned at him,  _ that was his name, Hansol _ , Jeonghan thought. Jihoon leant forward, brushing Jeonghan’s patchy hair from his face as he dropped his eyes to the sheets now.

“Jeonghan, do you remember anything?” He sounded like he were speaking from underwater or maybe through a very echoey tunnel, whatever it was, it wasn’t Jihoon.

“Get away from me!” Jeonghan suddenly snapped and Jihoon jumped back, stumbling into Soonyoung’s chest. Soonyoung was there again, in his line of vision and looking at Jeonghan like a kicked puppy. He didn’t like being looked at like that.

“Jeonghan? What’s the matter?” He asked softly, but Jeonghan could tell now that none of these people were his friends. He tried, with all his strength, to push Soonyoung away from him, but suddenly his vision was blurring then turning to black and Soonyoung had barely moved an inch.

 

Everything was a mess. Jihoon was gritting his teeth and kept tapping his foot unevenly and that only made Soonyoung more aggravated, more anxious. Jisoo was sitting beside Wonwoo, chewing on his bottom lip as they watched the scene unfold. Seungkwan had rushed to the bathroom, Hansol on his heels, and thrown up anything that was in his empty stomach out of nerves. Hansol had sat with him on the bathroom floor for an hour before Seungkwan felt like he could move again. At some point, Jun and Minghao had arrived, rushing into the hospital waiting room, tired and a little disheveled. Even Mingyu had arrived and Jisoo hated thinking that he was wrong to have told him. Every half hour Seokmin took Chan outside and whenever they returned it looked as if Chan had been crying. 

It was a few hours before another nurse came towards the group, two policemen at her side and a doctor trailing behind in a rush from room to room. Joshua was quick to get to his feet, stumbling as his legs felt numb, only for Wonwoo to catch his elbow to keep him upright.

“Mr Hong?” The first officer looked at him carefully and Jisoo nodded bowing and shaking hands with both officers, “On behalf of the state hospital, I’d like to apologise profusely for the nurse that was put in charge of Mr Kim Jeonghan-”

“It’s actually ‘Yoon’, sir, it’s Yoon Jeonghan.” Seungkwan was cutting in now, standing up beside Wonwoo, the little strength he could muster was fading but correcting the officer of Jeonghan’s name suddenly seemed so important.  _ What if he’d died and was filed under the wrong name? Or what if his headstone read ‘Kim Jeonghan’?  _ Hansol watched Seungkwan carefully, watching as the cogs span in his head before quickly pulling him down to sit beside him again. 

“Ah- m-my apologies.” The officer replied, awkwardly exchanging a glance with the other man beside him, “As I was saying, we’d like to apologise and compensation will be organised when he’s well enough.” Jisoo nodded in understanding, but really, all he wanted was to know that Jeonghan was better. He didn’t care about the money and if Jeonghan did, which he was sure he wouldn’t, he’d have paid Jeonghan out of his own savings. Wonwoo circled an arm around Jisoo’s waist, soft and gentle as he pulled him into his side. 

“We have reason to believe that the nurse in charge was paid to drug Mr Yoon long enough to knock him out and get him back to where he’d escaped from. We are still investigating, but both Mr Choi and Mr Yoon are now under Witness Protection and will be for the remainder of their time in hospital care.” The second officer was speaking now and Jisoo was trying not to cry, gritting his teeth together and swallowing dryly.

“He was dosed up on a drug known as diphenhydramine or benadryl, which is known for treating allergies. Mr Yoon was overdosed on it and is currently in recovery, but has experienced a few setbacks with minor injuries due to this. His recovery time may have been lengthened, but we are doing everything we can to keep his body from slipping into a self-induced coma.” The doctor was rushing out the sentence now, clearly tired and worn out from the strenuous job, but she had softer eyes than the police officers. Mingyu looked up from the floor, gasping quietly,

“A- a coma?” He managed to mutter and Jisoo didn’t want her to confirm that.

“It’s a possibility, but he’s doing well so far and we have to tell you that it’s a caution. It’s not looking like he’ll slip that far, but we have to at least warn you.” She paused a moment, scanning her eyes over the group for a moment, “Seungcheol is doing very well. He came back from surgery about an hour ago, hopefully one or two of you can see him later this evening if he wakes up in time.” She smiled softly, her pager suddenly going off and she sighed quietly, pulling it from her pocket and quickly excusing herself.

“If there’s family members you’d like me to call for Mr Yoon or Mr Choi, please just let me know.” The nurse finally spoke up, quickly bowing as she scuttled away down the corridor. The officers watched her a moment before turning back to Jisoo and Wonwoo.

“We appreciate that this will be a difficult few weeks for you all and if there’s anything we can do for you in the way of counsellors or…” The first officer had begun speaking, but this time Joshua was zoning everything out. Wonwoo was nodding and thanking them both as they left, noticing Joshua’s switch in behaviour. He pulled him down the corridor towards the entrance hall and outside the double doors before the others could ask questions.

“Come here.” Wonwoo mumbled quietly, pulling Joshua into his chest as they stopped a little way from the entrance. It was predictable that Jisoo would cry now, but he still surprised himself with the sound of his own sobs, wracking through his body as Wonwoo breathed into his hair.

“I don’t know what to do.” He whispered into Wonwoo’s chest and everything felt so much more difficult than it ever had before. More difficult than moving to Korea, saying goodbye to parents and going to university to pursue something he didn’t even want. Everyone always thought Joshua was fine, because most of the time he was, but there were also days like this. Days that he remembered he wasn’t allowed to do the one thing he’d actually wanted to do. He’d wanted to make music and after his parents had handed the university application he was so excited, unknowing that they were forbidding him to apply for any creative subjects at the time; Unknowing that his parents had torn up the scholarship to a music and vocal education school, just out of his town.

Wonwoo held him tighter now. He knew that this was bigger than just Jeonghan and Seungcheol being in hospital, but it wasn’t his place to ask just yet.

“Sh, you’re okay,” He mumbled against Jisoo’s hair, running his fingers through the shorter strands at his nape and caressing his lower back with his other hand, “It’s okay.” He knew it wasn’t okay and he knew that it probably wouldn’t be for a while, but Jisoo needed anything right now,  _ anything _ .

“I don’t know what to do.” Jisoo repeated, sniffing as he clutched onto Wonwoo’s shirt, “This is too much, I don’t know what to do. I’m the oldest, I should know, I should be looking after you all, but  _ I don’t know what to do. _ ” He was pulling back now, wiping his face on the back of his coat sleeve. Wonwoo watched him carefully. The dark fur of his hood was stark against his pale skin and the downward curve of his lips was heartbreakingly beautiful. 

“No one is expecting anything from you, darling.” Wonwoo said softly, eyes big as he observed his shifting expressions, cradling Jisoo’s face now. He wanted to kiss him and tell him that he’d be there for every broken bone and bullet wound and shed tear, but he wasn’t sure if Jisoo was at that point yet. Afterall, Jisoo was vulnerable and hurting and Wonwoo might only hurt him more if he made a move that Jisoo didn’t feel like right now.

“B-but I’m the oldest, I have to know what to do and who to call and when to give them space.” Joshua was coughing into the back of his hand, turning his face down as his voice dropped, “What I’m saying, is that I don’t know how best to look after them or call the shots. I know I’m not their parents and that no one has asked me to be in charge, but it’s still how they’ll look at me. They see me as the older one, so why don’t I know what to do?” Wonwoo pushed Joshua’s hair back from his face and lifted his face with two gentle fingers. It was a long moment before Wonwoo spoke again and Joshua had almost given up his hope on Wonwoo’s encouraging speech of hope and endurance, but it finally came.

“How do you think Seungcheol dealt with this? How do you think he felt when he had all of us to look after and Seungkwan and Hansol to tend to? How do you think he felt when he came home to Jeonghan, late after his shifts, to find the lights out and Jeonghan sitting up waiting for him in the living room?” Wonwoo paused a moment, sighing quietly, “He was exhausted, but just knowing that Jeonghan was there when he got home was the reason he could get through the day. Don’t push yourself, Jisoo, the hard work is done now. Seungcheol took you all in, he fed you and drove you to school and did everything to protect you. He took a bullet for all of you, not just Jeonghan. This may have just been to do with Jeonghan and Seungcheol, but somewhere, somehow we were all dragged into this and Seungcheol was hellbent on keeping you all safe, so don’t worry. The hard part is done, all you have left to do is send them all home. I’ll wait here with you- or s-someone else can- and wait for anymore news. There’s no more decisions to make, no more wars to fight or bullets to take.” Joshua had stopped crying now and as Wonwoo finished, he realised the sun was rising from beyond the horizon. Joshua nodded slowly, eyes wide now and lips parted.

“The hard part is over.” He repeated quietly and Wonwoo watched as he slowly resolved, features rearranging themselves so he looked like Joshua again; Wonwoo’s Joshua.

 

Three days on from the initial accident had Jeonghan being slung into a wheelchair and taken to Seungcheol’s room in a ward further down the corridor. He was tired, but ever since he’d awoken, he’d been begging the doctors and nurses for even  _ five _ minutes with Seungcheol. From what he’d overheard, his doctor had finally given in, telling him he could have twenty minutes with Seungcheol as long as he let him sleep if he needed to. Jeonghan was quick to agree and now he was outside a room, his nurse tapping at the door before a male doctor appeared, smiling brightly down at Jeonghan.

“Ah, Seungcheol, your guest has arrived.” The doctor spoke warmly and Jeonghan was eager to see Seungcheol, now knowing he was in good hands, “He does have pretty hair, you’re right.” The doctor smiled, voice quieter as he led them into the room, positioning Jeonghan’s chair right beside Seungcheol’s bed and pausing a moment to readjust Seungcheol’s pillows.

“Jeonghan-” Seungcheol coughed out, eyes filling as he turned his face towards Jeonghan at his bedside.

“Doctor Peters said twenty minutes, but I’ll try and buy you both some more time.” The doctor spoke again, following the nurse back to the door and smiling as he pulled it shut behind him.

“Y-you’re alive.” Those were the first words Jeonghan managed to get out and in that moment he  _ hated _ himself. He’d thought about what he’d wanted to say to Seungcheol and ‘you’re alive’ hadn’t exactly made it to the top of his list, for quite obvious reasons. Nonetheless, Seungcheol was smiling up at him, trying not to laugh at Jeonghan too severely.

“I guess I am, yeah.” Seungcheol said quietly now and Jeonghan realised that he’d not even got around to breaking up with Seungcheol, but there was still this uncertainty, this unease. There was silence for a moment in which Seungcheol studied Jeonghan, finally speaking again, “You look so beautiful.” Jeonghan was taken aback for a moment, blushing as he looked down at his hospital gown that his nurse had helped him into. He’d spent all morning with his nurse helping him to cover as much of his scalp as he could, but he’d already decided that as soon as he was well enough, he’d have to cut his hair. His nurse had told him he looked great, but it meant so much more coming from Seungcheol.

“Th-thank you.” He finally stuttered out, but his hands were shaking now and Seungcheol was beginning to look at him with those concerned eyes, “We should probably talk, shouldn’t we?” The room seemed to close around them for a moment before Seungcheol spoke again.

“I’ll go first.” Seungcheol sounded determined now, but everything hurt, mentally and physically, he was falling apart, “I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything and I’m sorry you got hurt. I did everything I could for you, Jeonghan, so please just don’t be angry-”

“I’m not angry with you-” Jeonghan interrupted, but Seungcheol was weakly holding up a hand for him to stop,

“Let me finish, Jeonghannie.” He breathed out slowly and now Jeonghan was aware that his vitals had started peaking and he wanted to tell him to slow down, but Seungcheol was determined, “I wanted to do what was right for you and after sending you home that day, I was a mess. I was exhausted and I missed you and was worried, but then I realised that this was safer for you. It was safer to let you be and let you live a life that I wouldn’t have. If I surrendered, maybe they’d give up chasing you, maybe they’d let you go. So, that’s what I did. I tore myself apart to let you go and it was the worst, stupidest decision I’ve ever made. That evening when you came to see me, I knew why you’d come and I knew you’d want closure, so, I understand if you want to finish from where you left off. Just know that I still love you and I meant it when I said it in the car.” Seungcheol finished quietly, his breathing erratic now and when Jeonghan looked over his shoulder, he could see Seungcheol’s doctor at the door.

“I don’t want to let you go just yet, Cheol-ah.” Jeonghan husked, eyes welling with tears as he turned Seungcheol’s words over in his head.

“Just, please, think about it. I don’t want to hurt you and I know you Jeonghan, I know your heart. You’ve seen me hurt and in pain and I don’t want that to be the reason you come back to me. I want you to come back to me because you want me, not because you feel guilty about it or feel sorry for me.” Seungcheol said smoothly, Jeonghan shaking his head quickly and wiping his face with the back of his hand.

“No, Seungcheol, no,” Jeonghan began, knowing now that Seungcheol really did know him like the back of his hand, “I want you, I want everything you are and hope to be. I want to live a life with you and I want to take care of you when you get sick and for you to braid my hair and make breakfast with me.” He was rambling now and he knew it, but he was gasping for air and he couldn’t stop now, “I want to take you to Paris and see the Mona Lisa and I want to buy a house with you and fall asleep on the couch whilst you unpack.” He paused, giggling through his tears for a moment before looking at Seungcheol once he’d sobered, “What I’m saying, is that I don’t want us to go our separate ways. I don’t want to end things here, I don’t want us to go home to our separate apartments and live our different lives. I want to be with you and wake up to you and I don’t want this to stop us from having that.” Seungcheol was crying now, gingerly dabbing at his eyes with the heel of his palm. He hated seeing Jeonghan crying, hated to hear the things that Jeonghan would have to give up if Seungcheol had of left him.

“Where does this leave us, Hannie?” Seungcheol finally asked, sniffing into his sheets as he tried to get a better look at Jeonghan. There was silence between them both and Jeonghan wondered if this meant they were at the end of their story. 

“Let’s start over,” Jeonghan said quietly, suddenly straightening up and drying his eyes, “Seungcheol, would you maybe like to get dinner sometime?” He asked, hesitantly reaching for Seungcheol’s hand on his bed and massaging his thumb across his knuckles. A smile cracked Seungcheol’s face and his tears were forgotten now, he lifted their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to Jeonghan’s hand,

“I think that’d be really nice.” Seungcheol spoke softly, the smile still on his lips, but fading as a thought crossed his mind, “Would- would it be okay if I kissed you before the first date? Or is that against the rules?” He added, eyes dropping to the bed sheets then back up to Jeonghan. He huffed out a laugh in response and pulled his hand from Seungcheol’s grip, carefully pushing himself out of his seat to crawl into the bed beside Seungcheol, curling into his arms.

“I think I can let it slide this time.” Jeonghan mumbled into his chest before leaning up and pressing his lips against Seungcheol’s, slow and hesitant and Jeonghan had never tasted something quite like this. Seungcheol was pulling him closer to his body, cringing and breathing a little heavier when he moved too much and Jeonghan was pulling away, nervously looking up at him.

“I’m okay, really, I’m just not used to moving so much.” Seungcheol explained, sliding down the bed so Jeonghan could lay his head on his uninjured shoulder, fingers resting on his abdomen. He leant up once more to kiss him and Seungcheol held his face there a moment, kissing him longer now and Jeonghan was smiling against his lips,   
“Someone might come in.” He murmured, letting Seungcheol press soft pecks to his lips now, before he slid back down to lay beside him. They were quiet now and Jeonghan sighed in relief when he heard Seungcheol’s cardiac monitor return to normal.

“How are you feeling? Did you get hurt a lot?” Seungcheol asked quietly, running his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair and trying to avoid the patch that had clearly been covered. Jeonghan hummed,

“I’m okay. I was drugged when I first came in, but I feel-” Jeonghan began, but Seungcheol was concentrating on not moving too quickly to look at him in shock.

“You were  _ what _ ?” Seungcheol cut in, yelping as he shifted, a sharp pain cutting through him.

“I was drugged, but I’m okay now-” Jeonghan started again, but Seungcheol was tilting Jeonghan’s head up towards him, staring into his eyes a little too intensely.

“Why did no one tell me? Who drugged you? When did it happen?” Seungcheol started, cardiac monitor switching up to a faster pace now. Jeonghan flicked his eyes away from the monitor and back to Seungcheol’s face before he could notice.

“I’m fine, it’s okay. It was an overdose on Benadryl or something, I don’t remember, but they’re suspecting my nurse was paid off to drug me.” He paused, staring up at Seungcheol who was gaping at him in utter shock, “That’s why they wouldn’t let me see you, otherwise I would’ve come sooner. Anyway, we’re under witness protection now, so we’ll be fine.” Jeonghan explained, reaching a hand up to run his thumb over Seungcheol’s cheekbone affectionately. Seungcheol simply stared at him, still tensed up as a furrow formed between his eyebrows,

“Fuck- th-this is what I meant. I hate this, why do you have to keep getting hurt?” Seungcheol grit out, but Jeonghan knew it wasn’t aimed at him this time. He shifted so he was leaning back down against the pillows, Jeonghan’s head nestled between his shoulder and neck now.

“You can’t really talk, you literally took a bullet for me.” Jeonghan scoffed and Seungcheol huffed out a laugh into his hair. They settled a moment later, Jeonghan gently marking Seungcheol’s neck with butterfly kisses and half-fading hickies.

“Have the others visited you already?” Seungcheol asked, humming when Jeonghan nibbled on the skin of his jugular.

“Mh, yeah, Wonwoo said you’d been feeling better, so I begged the nurses to let me see you.” Jeonghan spoke into his skin, licking a stripe up his neck as Seungcheol keened into the feeling. 

“I missed you.” Seungcheol spoke, a smile lacing his voice as he pulled Jeonghan impossibly closer, kissing his forehead. Jeonghan knew him so well, too well even, and as stupid as it felt, he’d forgotten how well Jeonghan knew him. It wasn’t even as if they’d spent a lot of time together when it came down to sex, but the occasional makeout sessions between friends coming over to ‘babysit’ them both, had become fairly regular when they’d been together. Somedays Jeonghan was push Seungcheol up against the closest wall and kiss him until his head spun and eventually be interrupted by whoever was at the door, but other days it’d be Seungcheol grinding into Jeonghan from behind as he stood over the sink, washing their dishes from breakfast.

“I missed you too.” Jeonghan responded, recalling the memories with a bashful smile.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Verkwan smut ahead! Also fluffy and problematic Joshwoo.

Seungkwan’s physio was going well, really well, in fact he’d managed to walk for ten minutes without his crutches now, even if it was slowly. Hansol had come home to the surprise two weeks after Jeonghan and Seungcheol had been put in hospital, but this time was different. Seungkwan was almost skipping towards Hansol as he walked in the door.  
“Hello, baby. What’s got you in such a good mood?” Hansol smiled down at him, bringing him into his arms to kiss him as he kicked their apartment door shut. Seungkwan was practically jumping from foot to foot when asked.  
“Jeonghan! Jeonghan-Hyung can come home!” He squealed, throwing himself back into Hansol’s arms and making him giggle. Hansol was quick to scoop him up in his arms, wrapping his legs around his waist and taking him to the couch to sit him on his lap.  
“That’s amazing,” Hansol smiled, pressing another kiss to Seungkwan’s lips, “I missed seeing you this happy.” He added once he pulled away to find Seungkwan still smiling at him as if he’d been given a million dollars.   
“Today was really boring and my lecturer was hungover so she hadn’t planned a lesson, but then Joshua-Hyung called me to tell me that we could collect Jeonghan-Hyung tomorrow.” Seungkwan said excitedly and Hansol couldn’t help but mirror his expression, cradling his face now and holding him on his lap with a hand on his hip.  
“That’s great, baby.” Hansol said softly, but Seungkwan was frowning at his response, tilting his head in Hansol’s grip.  
“What is it? What’s the matter?” Seungkwan asked in concern, mentally cursing himself for not noticing it earlier.  
“What do you mean?” Hansol asked, leaning forward to nip at Seungkwan’s neck, sucking the skin between his lips and teeth.  
“Oh, that was what the matter was?” Seungkwan confirmed, leaning into his mouth and pressing his hips firmly down into Hansol’s thighs. Hansol hummed in response, leaning back on the couch with Seungkwan in his hold to continue the abuse he was painting across his neck now.  
“I’m sorry, I just missed you and I love you.” Hansol mumbled gingerly into Seungkwan’s neck, but Seungkwan was already tearing his shirt over his head and reaching for Hansol’s.  
“Yes, because those seven hours at school were just such a long time to be away from me.” Seungkwan teased, but Hansol was giggling, running his hands up and down his sides, thumbs pressing into his nipples and skating over his abdomen and hip bones.  
“Hm, you know what I mean.” Hansol hummed, making Seungkwan shiver in his arms and letting him have his way with his neck and jaw and collarbones. He’d always loved giving Seungkwan control when he wanted to, he knew Seungkwan liked it too. Sometimes Seungkwan would want to be in control with everything but the ‘fucking’ part and Hansol was more than willing to let him be, but Seungkwan was also gentle and soft and needed to be looked after too. Seungkwan knew that if he ever wanted something, Hansol was- more likely than not- willing to oblige. It wasn’t one of those nights though, it was one of those nights where Hansol took and Seungkwan fell under his spell, giving and taking and fighting for dominance. That always was their flaw.  
“Kiss me,” Hansol said quietly, his nose bumping Seungkwan’s forehead as he pulled his head away from the attack he was currently making on Hansol’s neck, “I think we need to speed this up.” He mumbled when Seungkwan dragged his tongue across Hansol’s bottom lip, teasing him into submission and failing. Seungkwan was back on his neck, sucking at the sensitive part midway up his and shifting as Hansol lifted him by the thighs, carrying him to their bedroom. It was an unspoken rule between Seungkwan, Hansol and Jeonghan that there was to be no shenanigans in the living room, because ‘We sit here, I don’t want someone else’s cum where I sit.’ Jeonghan had once said. Hansol lay Seungkwan back on their bed, crawling over him as he pulled away from Hansol’s collarbone, breathless from having the breath knocked out of him when he’d been laid down.   
“You’re just going to stare at me? I thought you wanted to speed this up.” Seungkwan teased, sliding his knee up between Hansol’s crotch as he caged him under his body. Hansol roughly rutted against his thigh, leaning down and kissing him, faster and more heated now.  
“I thought I’d take my time to appreciate such a pretty meal.” Hansol winked, kissing and biting down to his chest and unzipping his pants to slide them down his legs with his boxers.  
“I thought it was my thighs you liked, you traitor.” Seungkwan jested, kicking the fabric off his ankles and onto the floor at the end of their bed. Hansol smirked, pulling away from Seungkwan’s body, his nipple still clasped between his teeth, making him whine before he let go,  
“Oh, Seungkwan, it’s a lot more than just your thighs I like.” He replied, sliding down his body, avoiding his half-hard cock and skimming his saliva-coated lips over the soft skin of his thighs. It was no secret that Hansol loved Seungkwan’s thighs- well, thighs and ass- but it was the one thing Seungkwan had always hated about himself. He’d always try to get looser fitting pants and jeans to hide the thickness of his thighs, but that was exactly what Hansol liked. As much as Hansol had always praised him, he always wished they were thinner, more toned, prettier, like Hansol’s. The list went on, but Hansol had a longer list of things he loved about Seungkwan, a longer list of reasons why he loved Seungkwan’s thighs and the longest list of reasons why he wanted Seungkwan to eventually marry him.  
“Fu-fuck.” Seungkwan hummed, wriggling under Hansol as he sucked hickies into the skin just below his hips, teeth grazing the skin and tongue lapping over the discoloured skin.   
“Hm? It’s not only me that likes your thighs, huh?” Hansol smirked, mouth travelling further up between his thighs, closer to his ass, lapping over his entrance and slowly fucking him with his tongue. Seungkwan’s body was responding faster now, moaning and arching into him with uneven whines as he threw his forearm over over his face, biting down on his bottom lip Hansol watched him over the plane of his stomach, this was his favourite way to look at Seungkwan. He’d never tire of looking at Seungkwan from this position, watching him fall apart at the seams from merely his mouth.  
“Ngh, oh God, shut up and fuck me.” Seungkwan begged, but Hansol wasn’t giving up easy just yet. He pulled back from Seungkwan, running his hands over his abdomen and kissing up his thighs, holding his gaze meticulously.  
“Flip over.” Hansol ordered, but his voice was still soft. Seungkwan looked up at him in question for a moment, was Hansol really going to give it to him from behind like he wanted or was this a ploy in order of dragging things out. He lay down on his stomach, eyeing Hansol over his shoulder before resting his chin on his forearms, but Hansol had other ideas. Hansol pulled his hips up, dragging him into a kneeling position with his face still hidden in the sheets.  
“Hansol, please,” It wasn’t a beg, but Hansol could tell he was getting impatient and that was exactly where he wanted him. He chuckled, resting his hands on Seungkwan’s ass, quickle leaning down to tongue at the very place Seungkwan was begging him to touch. Seungkwan moaned out, but it wasn’t enough, it was nowhere near enough, yet amazing. He pressed his tongue flat against him, sucking at his rim and letting Seungkwan push his hips back into his face. It was a while before Hansol decided that this was enough fun for Seungkwan for the time being. He was panting into the sheets, gripping them between his fists as Hansol began reaching for the lube and fingering him open. It’d been a while since they’d actually done anything, spare the occasional bathroom blowjob or shower handjob, they’d been between the hospital and healing from their injuries, they hadn’t fucked in over a month. In usual cases this would mean Seungkwan would need Hansol to go slow, but just because Hansol hadn’t fucked Seungkwan for some time, it didn’t mean he hadn’t masturbated. In fact, he’d done so that very morning.  
“What’s this?” Hansol asked, pressing two fingers into Seungkwan with a cruel smirk adorning his lips. Seungkwan cringed to himself, hiding his face in the pillows, but Hansol had already noticed the blush creeping down his neck, “Did someone have some fun without me?” He asked again, sliding the two fingers in and out of Seungkwan, slowly, but persistently. Seungkwan whined,  
“I was horny, okay? I just needed to have something in me and I missed this and I didn’t know if you were well enough to do anything. I was going to talk to you about it all, this evening actually, but you sort of got us here already.” Seungkwan explained rapidly and there was silence for a moment, in which Seungkwan avoided eye contact, “Are you angry with me?” He asked, honesty lacing his voice, because they’d never really talked about masturbating. They’d never had to talk about masturbating within their relationship, because usually when one of them was horny the other would be more than happy to help out, but they’d both been unwell and recovering and now Seungkwan was overthinking.  
“Why would I be angry with you, baby?” Hansol asked, genuinely confused, because it wasn’t as if Seungkwan had cheated or anything- unless, of course, Hansol was supposed to be jealous of dildos now or something equally absurd.  
“Well, I could’ve just talked to you about it- the recovery part, not the masturbating part- you know?” Seungkwan tried to explain and Hansol was pulling his fingers from him now, flipping him onto his back and leaving Seungkwan breathless, hiding his face in his elbow.  
“Seungkwan, you did nothing wrong. There’s no reason to be shy, we’ve been together for, God knows, how long and that doesn’t mean that you can’t also masturbate. There might be times when I’m busy or unwell or away from home and that doesn’t mean you should just wait for me, it’s not as if you’re cheating on me.” Hansol explained, straddling Seungkwan’s hips, eyes locked on him, hand cradling his face. Seungkwan slowly moved his arm from his face, looking up at Hansol properly now,  
“Yes, but I thought you might be upset.” Seungkwan tried to justify, but Hansol was shaking his head and leaning down to kiss him passionately, tongues sliding against lips and teeth clashing messily. When Hansol finally pulled away, Seungkwan was breathless and reaching for Hansol, but he simply smiled and trailed a hand down his body to continue fingering him, kissing him harshly now.  
“If we’re being honest, I think it’s really hot that you masturbated, did you think of me, baby?” Hansol asked smugly, pulling Seungkwan’s bottom lip between his own and letting it go before admiring the stained red, swollen mess he’d created.  
“No, I was thinking of Cyndi Lauper,” Seungkwan sassed, “Of course I was thinking of you, idiot.” Hansol shook his head, smiling and looking between them to see Seungkwan’s progress. He slid a third finger into him, looking back up to see Seungkwan’s expression before he leant down to tug at Seungkwan’s lips a little more.  
“Which one did you use?” Hansol asked vaguely, using his tongue more than anything on Seungkwan now, exchanging saliva and fighting against Seungkwan’s tongue.  
“Th-the black one- mh.” Seungkwan replied, referring to the toy he’d used that morning and Hansol smiled down at him as he got distracted by the curl of his fingers hitting his prostate. He was a little more frantic now, bucking his hips to meet Hansol’s fingers and writhing in his arms. Hansol could do that with just his fingers, even after a year he was the same and Hansol pulled his fingers away quickly, knowing that Seungkwan would cum if not. He placed a hand on Seungkwan’s abdomen, soothingly, as kissed him slowly now, watching as he visible relaxed,  
“Good boy,” Hansol praised, taking his hand off his chest and sitting up a moment, “How do you want this, baby?” Hansol asked softly and all competition from earlier was out the window. It was clear now that Seungkwan was actually a little more uneasy than Hansol had initially thought. He knew Seungkwan wasn’t scared about the sex or Hansol being rough, but he also knew that he was a little less confident now, despite the sassy comments, Hansol could see through him.  
“Like before.” He said shortly, making to flip onto his stomach again, lifting his hips from the bed in submission as Hansol settled behind him, quickly leaning over to kiss him at the nape of his neck. He knew Seungkwan, he knew he wouldn’t tell Hansol that he was nervous, but Hansol didn’t need him to. Seungkwan never got nervous, in fact he was usually the one to initiate anything regarding sex, but it’d been a while and- thinking about it logically- the black toy Seungkwan had used that morning wasn’t as big as Hansol. That’s probably what was making him nervous. If that had of been a stretch for him then he had a right to be nervous.   
“Remember that we can stop whenever you want, baby. Making out with you is enough for me.” Hansol said softly, pressing the three fingers back into Seungkwan for a moment before leaning down to kiss his lower back. He watched as Seungkwan nodded, pressing back on Hansol’s fingers as he slid them out again, tearing off his jeans and underwear to roll on a condom.  
“I know, Hansol, but I want this.” Seungkwan said softly and Hansol could hear the truth in his voice. With another kiss to his lower back, Hansol was pouring lube into his hand and stroking himself slowly, “Just go slowly.” Seungkwan added and Hansol nodded, already figuring this much. He gently eased himself into Seungkwan’s entrance, massaging his back whenever Seungkwan gasped a little louder or whined at the stretch.  
“Are you alright?” Hansol asked hesitantly, pressed in almost to the hilt as Seungkwan fell from his elbows to the mattress. There were a few muffled moans and curses before Hansol got a response,  
“Y-yes, fuck, feels good.” Seungkwan got out, breathing heavily into the sheets and relaxing as Hansol rested within him for a moment, letting him adjust, “You can move, babe.” He finally spoke and Hansol was gritting his teeth from desperation, leaning down to press a line of butterfly kisses up Seungkwan’s spine.  
“You’re doing so well, baby boy, don’t tense up for me, okay?” Hansol said softly and Seungkwan nodded, humming his agreement into his forearm.  
“O-okay.” Seungkwan replied, focusing his whole being on staying relaxed as Hansol slowly pulled back to thrust forward again. He squeaked out a moan and Hansol smiled softly, he knew that was pleasure, not pain. His hips gained a steady pace that eventually had Seungkwan moaning into the sheets and Hansol muttering curses, low in the back of his throat as he leant down to nip at Seungkwan’s shoulder. It wasn’t long before Hansol felt like he might cum, but Seungkwan wasn’t surprised, this was practically how he’d been that very morning. There was no blaming Hansol for not waiting it out. Seungkwan met every thrust, sliding a hand down to begin thrusting into his fist as Hansol verged on coming.  
“F-fuck- oh God- s-so good, baby.” Hansol groaned, staying chest to back with Seungkwan on the bed, lips trailing mindlessly over his shoulder blades and down his spine.  
“You can cum, babe,” Seungkwan moaned out, voice broken and desperate as he felt Hansol’s hips stutter in an attempt at holding his orgasm off a little longer. It was three thrusts later that Hansol came in the condom, breathless and groaning as he almost collapsed against Seungkwan who was whining beneath him as he jerked into his fist. He didn’t cum too long after and Hansol was rolling Seungkwan onto his side, kissing him firmly as they caught their breath. As tired as Seungkwan felt, he begged his eyes to stay open long enough to see Hansol crawl under the covers with him, but Hansol was shifting from the bed and grabbing a pack of hand wipes to clean them both down, kissing Seungkwan between tossing the dirties in the bin.  
“I love you, Seungkwannie.” Hansol mumbled, pulling the sheets back and helping Seungkwan get comfortable beneath them before sliding in beside him, instantly pulling him into his arms.  
“Mh, love you too.” Seungkwan slurred sleepily, tucking his head beneath Hansol’s chin and tracing a finger down his torso, over his healed scar and back up to his chest. Seungkwan always knew he was lucky, just never like this.

Jisoo was at their apartment at the crack of dawn, Wonwoo beside him looking exceptionally tired. It felt like a curse to have given Jisoo their apartment key, especially when that meant him appearing to two naked bodies in Seungkwan’s bed. It was Hansol that cared about it, but Seungkwan was less than bothered. He knew that Joshua had seen maybe half the nations dicks, so what was another one to him anyway.  
“Rise and shine, kids, we’re going to collect your mother today.” Joshua yelled, leaving Wonwoo sleepily in the doorway as he started throwing clothes at the two of them. Hansol was pulling the sheets higher, trying his best to cover any bare skin from Jisoo’s view.  
“Jeonghan isn’t our mother, Hyung.” Seungkwan groaned, grabbing a pair of boxers that Jisoo had tossed towards the bed.  
“Oh no, who told you?” He deadpanned, eyeing Hansol with a smirk, “Come on, Hansol, you’re acting like I’ve never seen a shoulder in my life. We’ve got to go, hurry up, get a move on!” Joshua ruffled his hair, tossing two sweaters on their bed as he left the room, pulling the door shut behind him and tugging Wonwoo to the living room. He’d spent the night at Wonwoo’s and it was maybe something he’d never experienced. It was nice to make out with someone, knowing that it didn’t have to lead to sex, but instead falling asleep in his arms watching a trashy rom-com. He’d awoken in Wonwoo’s bed, stripped to his boxers and a sweater that was a few sizes too big, and the smell of fried food. It was nice, no one had ever made him breakfast the night after, actually, no one had ever made him breakfast. This sort of thing had never really appealed to Joshua before, but now that it was with Wonwoo, he felt a lot happier, content and maybe even cared for. It’d been a long time since he’d felt like someone actually truly cared for him.  
“Are you hungry?” Wonwoo asked, jogging him from his thoughts as they entered Seungkwan and Hansol’s kitchen. He smiled to himself as Wonwoo wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling his back to his chest and leaning his chin on Joshua’s shoulder.   
“I was just going to make something for the other two,” Jisoo murmured, linking his fingers with Wonwoo’s and spinning in his grip to look up at him with a smile, “It’s not looking like there’s too much food here, though.” He shrugged, looking around the room for a moment before looking back to Wonwoo.  
“We can go and get them something from that convenience store across the street.” Wonwoo suggested, pressing a kiss to Joshua’s nose and making him giggle. Joshua never used to giggle. He agreed and the called out to let the others know they’d be back in bit.  
Wonwoo wanted to hold his hand. Wonwoo had wanted to hold Joshua’s hand for weeks now, well, ever since they’d started whatever it was that they were. They settled without labels, but also without fucking around and so far it’d been great, but Wonwoo wasn’t sure where the line between boyfriend and whatever the were really stopped. Could he kiss Joshua in public or hold is hand or would Joshua get mad and hit him? There was never really an ‘appropriate’ time to bring such a thing up and Wonwoo was getting restless now. He wasn’t clingy per se, he just liked to know that Jisoo was there, beside him and happy. It’d been too long now for Wonwoo to keep avoiding the question so, finally, as they were walking to the convenience store, he posed the question.  
“Shua? What would you call our relationship?” He said tentatively and Joshua looked at him, a little surprised at the sudden question. He blinked a moment before relaxing back into a smile.  
“We talked about this- I don’t do labels, Woo-ah.” Joshua replied carefully and Wonwoo nodded, looking down to Joshua’s hand as they walked on.  
“But if we were to have a label, then where would you put us?” He pressed on and Joshua sighed, it was verging on frustration, but Wonwoo wasn’t giving up yet. Joshua paused, standing with him on the sidewalk of the deserted street.  
“Wonwoo, I’ve already said I don’t do labels. Whatever this is, I’m new to it and It’s scaring me. I’ve never had someone care about me before or stand beside me when I break down or kiss me and tell me things will be fine. It’s just not how I’ve ever been, okay?” Joshua explained, aggravation tinging his voice as he stared up at Wonwoo with furrowed eyebrows. Wonwoo had half a mind to kiss him, right here out in public, but he also had half a mind to not get punched in the face immediately after. He sighed,  
“I know, Jisoo, but what about me? You’re leaving me in limbo, fighting with the idea of having you to myself and not being too clingy. How can I know what you want if you don’t even know?” He shook his head, stepping closer to Joshua and looking at him intensely, “I’ll tell you what I want. I want to be able to hold your hand and kiss you public and be able to say that I have a boyfriend whenever I’m asked if I’m single. I want to make you happy, Joshua, but you won’t tell me how best I can do that. If it means me backing off then I will, but you can’t keep me in limbo like this.” Wonwoo finally snapped and Joshua was a little taken aback. He knew he was living a pipe dream but he thought maybe it’d last a little longer before Wonwoo caught on. Joshua stepped back, eyes dropping to the tarmac and then back up to Wonwoo.   
“I- I want that too.” He said quietly and Wonwoo tried his best to conceal his expression, “but I don’t know how to do all those things. I don’t know how to make you happy in return or how to be a good ‘boyfriend’ for you.” He put the word boyfriend in finger quotes and Wonwoo smiled at him.   
“You don’t have to do anything. You just have to be yourself, that’s it. That’s all I want.” Wonwoo said softly, staring down at Joshua with those chocolate eyes, “Do I make you happy, Joshua?” He finally asked, knowing that this was make or break. Joshua was never one to lie, he was blunt and straightforward and couldn’t be bothered to beat around the bush.   
“Y-yes,” He stuttered, “You make me happier than I even knew I could be.” He said quietly, eyes flirting around, cheeks tinged pink. Wonwoo leant forward and pecked him on the lips, pulling back quickly to see Joshua’s initial expression of shock.   
“Good.” Wonwoo replied shortly, starting to walk again, leaving Joshua in momentary shock before he came bounding up behind him, hesitantly slipping his hand into Wonwoo’s with a shy smile that had him looking anywhere but at Wonwoo.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minghao and Jun smut ;) I made Minghao super innocent and I don't know if it's weird or cute, let me know lmao ^_^

Jun had promised Hansol he’d be there to greet Jeonghan for when he was released, but the more he saw of Minghao the more difficult it was becoming. They’d laid in bed until noon and Minghao still wasn’t wanting to move.   
“Hao? Are you awake?” Jun called from the kitchen now, expecting his roommate and- since recent- boyfriend to be showering at the very least, but when he was greeted with no response he ventured into their bedroom. It was unusual for Minghao to sleep until midday, but he’d been doing it a lot recently and it was starting to bother Jun. He reached for the curtains, only to be met with a high-pitched groan from the pile of duvet and bed sheets he’d vacated hours ago.  
“Junhui! Stop, it’s too bright!” Minghao was whining, twisting over and hiding his face in the pillows, a tuft of unruly black hair stark against their clean white sheets.  
“Come on, Hao, you’re not a vampire.” He replied with a laugh, crossing the room to pull at the sheets and lean over Minghao’s sleepy form, I made you breakfast, but it’s almost lunchtime and it’s probably cold now.” Jun added, kissing Minghao’s forehead and sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling a leg up beneath him. Minghao groaned again,  
“Are we going out today?” He asked, voice whiny now and Jun couldn’t help but find it cute. There was silence for a moment in which Jun studied Minghao’s face with a furrowed brow. There was something different about him.  
“Hao, tell me the truth, have you stopped eating?” Jun frowned at him and Minghao was instantly wriggling away, avoiding his gaze.  
“N-no, I haven’t-”  
“Minghao, I asked you not to lie to me.” Jun cut in, but Minghao was sitting up now, looking at him with a scowl, less threatening than he would’ve liked with his fluffy bed hair and sleepy eyes.  
“Jun, I’m telling the truth! I’m eating, it’s not- not that.” Minghao rushed out, running a hand through his mess of black hair and sliding it down to massage his shoulder, looking away from Jun.  
“Well then, what is it? You’re never like this, you’re usually up before me, working out until late or studying, but lately you’ve been- I don’t know- different.” Jun spoke, reaching forward to rest a hand on Minghao’s shoulder, but falling short. Minghao noticed.  
“This, Jun, this is what’s got me acting up.” Minghao said vaguely, verging on exasperation all of a sudden, “I’m going mad, I really am.” He added under his breath, turning away and sliding out the other side of bed to head towards the adjacent bathroom.  
“What do you mean? Minghao, talk to me!” Jun called after him, standing quickly to try and follow him, but they still had boundaries they hadn’t crossed and he didn’t want to barge in on Minghao showering without his permission. The door shut and Jun stood for a moment, glaring at the clean wood as if it had personally attacked him.  
“I don’t want to talk about it, Jun.” Minghao’s voice came through the door, muffled as he stripped himself of his loose top and shorts. Jun sighed heavily, he’d noticed it for a while now. The way Minghao wouldn’t be able to get to sleep at night, the constant wriggling and unease and the impatience. Especially the impatience.  
“Hao, I’m serious. If you don’t open the door then I’m coming in there. Now, tell me what’s going on?” Jun’s voice had an edge to it now and Minghao froze up for a moment only to rush into motion.  
“W-wait, hang on, d-don’t come in.” He suddenly yelped, shuffling sounds coming from the bathroom and Jun was smirking. The door clicked open a moment later, Minghao appearing there, his face downcast, bangs covering his eyes.  
“What is it? What’s going on?” Jun said softly, stepping forward to lift his chin with his thumb and forefinger. Minghao sighed, rubbing the heel of his hand into his eye and Jun was suddenly very aware that Minghao might actually be crying. He pulled him into his chest, wrapping his arms around his waist.  
“It’s embarrassing.” Minghao sniffed into Jun’s chest, confusing Jun even more so. He’d expected a family members death or maybe a sign of illness or something, but now Jun was simply confused.  
“Hao, it can’t be that bad.” He said softly, rhythmically running his hands up and down his back, “I’ve heard a lot of embarrassing things in my life, Hao, it probably won’t even make it up there.” He giggled, trying to lighten the mood as Minghao pulled back, stepping away to wipe at his face and meet Jun’s eyes, finally.  
“Shut up,” Minghao muttered out a little harshly, only to be shocked by his very words and clamp a hand over his mouth in stunned confusion, “I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to- oh God, see, this is what’s happening to me- Jesus.” It felt like Jun might be talking to a mental patient and for a moment Minghao was looking at him like he wasn’t even there.  
“Come here, let’s sit down.” Jun smiled softly, taking his hand and guiding them both back to bed. Minghao pulled his legs up underneath himself, hands fidgeting in his lap as he stared at the sheets, “Slow down and tell me what’s up.” Jun prompted again. Minghao sighed. Jun braced himself.  
“I- I’m a virgin.” Minghao said quickly, running a hand through his hair in distress and this is not where Jun had expected this conversation to go. Actually, he hadn’t even guessed close.  
“Okay, well, that’s not embarrassing.” Jun said softly, reaching for his hand, “A little surprising, but not embarrassing, Hao.” But Minghao was shaking his head,  
“N-no, you don’t get it.” He paused again, briefly glancing at Jun’s expression before flicking his eyes back to their sheets, “I- fuck this is embarrassing- I only ever touched myself once. My family always raised us to think that sex was a bad thing and masturbating was wrong a-and then about a week ago we were making out and I- I went for a shower afterwards and that was the first time and- and now I’m trying to hold off but I just feel frustrated and-” He was stumbling over his words now and Jun was panicking because he was crying again and this time he wasn’t stopping. Jun pulled him back into his chest, holding him close and hushing him enough to be able to steady his sobs a bit.  
“Stop, Minghao, just slow down,” He cooed, stroking his fingers through his hair. He couldn’t really quite believe what he was hearing, but he needed not show Minghao that, “You’re okay. Calm down, I’m not weirded out or anything, so don’t worry.” In fact, maybe he was a little weirded out, but one white lie was only right at this point. It almost made Jun feel dirty, disgusted with himself that he’d started masturbating at fifteen and Minghao was twenty-one and had only just touched himself. It also didn’t help that Jun had expected Minghao to have slept with multiple people, he was beautiful. There was times that Minghao had stayed over at people’s houses and Jun had just assumed his ambiguous statements were to be interpreted as one night stands. That much was a stretch, but the fact that Minghao hadn’t even masturbated until almost a few weeks ago, that was almost impressive. He wondered if Minghao had ever even been curious, probably, but why hadn’t he sooner? He was away from home and Jun gave him privacy when he wanted it, so why had he never tried.  
“It’s weird though, Jun, I know it is.” Minghao sniffed again and Jun was brought back to the place in their bed where Hao was in his arms, “I just- don’t know what to do with myself and now I’m emotional and frustrated and everything is pissing me off.” Minghao didn’t know what he was trying to tell Jun, but he needed whatever help he could get. Was he ready to lose his virginity so soon after he’d even cum for the first time? Was he ready to let Jun have him how he wanted?  
“I know, it’s okay. Let’s talk about it, it’s not embarrassing and if you’re parents didn’t teach you about this sort of stuff properly then you don’t know any better. It’s not your fault, okay?” Jun said softly, leaning back as Minghao straightened himself, wiping his eyes and nodding his agreement, “Okay, so it was the night we were making out, right? That’s probably where all of it started. Was that why your shower was longer than usual?” Jun asked, smiling softly and in any other situation he would’ve made a joke of it, but Hao was fragile. He’d already guessed he’d gone to shower that night for that exact reason, but he hadn’t expected it to be his first time.  
“Y-yeah,” Minghao said, guilt lingering in his voice and Jun realised that he’d never been told that it was okay to masturbate before, he still thought it was a bad thing, “O-only once.” He added and Jun nodded smoothly.  
“Well, your parents must have had their reasons for teaching you this way, but it’s not the case with majority other people. Masturbating isn’t something you should be afraid or ashamed of doing. Sex isn’t bad, actually, it’s quite the opposite. I understand that this is all you’ve ever known, but I’m going to try and teach you that these things are good for you.” He paused a second to gather his thoughts, “You said you felt frustrated and pissed off at everything, right? That’s all your hormones mixing up and it’s the same with everyone. Masturbating and having sex is actually one of the best stress relievers and highest mood boosters. It actually does good for your heart rate and counts as exercise so as well as you enjoying yourself, you’re also keeping well. It boosts your immune system and helps with your self-image, it’s not something to be shunned, besides how do you think your parents had you?” Jun said softly, trying to punctuate his words with as much truth and emotion as he could. He wondered whether Minghao had ever heard any of these facts and simply thought they were all lies, or maybe he’d just been taught that sex was a sin, a bad thing.  
“I didn’t know any of those things.” He said shortly, a little lost in thought as his brain processed it all, “But what- what does it mean if I want more now I’ve tried it?” He asked awkwardly and Jun smiled. He remembered the first time he had sex with another man, recalling the near addictive feeling he’d got those few days afterwards.  
“That’s only human, Minghao. Once you get a taste of anything good, you want to go back for more. It’s really that simple. Nothing about having sex with someone is bad unless it’s nonconsensual.” Jun explained and Minghao nodded, he knew that much, “You didn’t have to be nervous, Hao, I wasn’t going to break up with you or belittle you for something like this. We’ve lived together as friends for a long time and I want us to live together as more than friends for longer, so don’t be afraid to confide in me.” Jun explained, reaching to cradle Minghao’s face as he held his gaze now. Minghao smiled now and Jun felt his heart drop to his feet, he really was beautiful.  
“If I feel like I want to masturbate, I’m allowed to?” Minghao questioned his confirmation, blinking at Jun and shifting his gaze when he said the word ‘masturbate’, it was cute.  
“Absolutely, or you can ask me. If you want to explore something then I’m here and I’ll wait for you. I want to give you time to do your own thing, but if- and when- you feel like you want my help, then I’m here.” Jun said delicately and Minghao understood. He leant forward, pressing a soft peck to Jun’s lips and pulling back again.  
“I might just want to skip the part where I explore things myself, actually.” Minghao spoke, biting his bottom lip and how could Jun deny him anything when he looked like that. He leant forward, kissing Minghao longer this time and cupping his face to slide his tongue along his bottom lip.  
“I like that I idea.” Jun said between kisses, leaning down to suck at Minghao’s neck, pulling whines from his lips as he released the skin from his mouth, “That means I get to learn how you sound, even when you don’t know.” He pulled back to inspect his smattering of hickies with a smirk and sarcastic sounding ‘oops’.   
“D-do we have time?” Minghao asked, his loose top slipping off his shoulder as he looked over his shoulder at the clock above their bedroom door.  
“I’m afraid not, darling, we need to go in a half hour, Jeonghan gets released today.” Jun said apologetically, shifting his hand to the back of Minghao’s neck and pulling him in for another kiss, fiercer than before, “How about this evening?” He suggested, pulling back from Hao’s lips, leaving them bruised and reddened. Minghao smiled up at him and nodded, reaching for Jun’s chest and pulling him back in again to kiss him messily.  
“Th-thank you, by the way,” Minghao got out when Jun digressed back to his neck, “for not being weirded out or anything. I was really nervous to tell you.” He added, humming in the back of his throat as Jun latched onto a particularly sensitive stretch of skin on his collarbone. Jun pulled back a few moments later, Hao not even remembering what he’d said.  
“I know and thank you for finally telling me.” He replied belatedly, watching as Minghao’s eyes drowsily opened and he tried to focus on his face. It was a sight, “Come on, you should get washed up, we need to get ready.” He added, pressing a short peck to Minghao’s parted lips. He groaned in annoyance.  
“You promise this evening, though?” Minghao confirmed, making sure Jun would keep his promise before he put all his effort into getting ready for the day. Jun smiled, nodding quickly and walking him to the bathroom in a back hug,  
“I promise, Hao.” He giggled, kissing his neck and holding out his fifth finger for Minghao to link with his own. Jun switched the light on for him and let him get changed for his shower, but Minghao was gripping his wrist before he could turn to leave.  
“Wait,” He said shakily, eyes big as he got Jun’s attention, “Maybe we can count this as an introduction.” He added, releasing Jun’s wrist and tearing his shirt over his head, standing shirtless in the bathroom, eyes darting from surface to surface. Jun was on him in a split second, kissing him harshly and running his hands over his waist and abdomen, up to his chest and shoulders and back down to to his hips.  
“Fuck, we need to- we need to get ready, Hao.” Jun spoke, but his mouth had other ideas and he found himself kissing down past Minghao’s collarbone and grazing his teeth over his pectorals.  
“You’re the one with your mouth- uh, that feels good, fuck-” Minghao interrupted himself as Jun sucked onto his nipple, twirling the bud between his teeth and over his tongue. Jun pulled away quickly and Minghao was left panting out short, laboured breaths,  
“Never did I think that seeing someone topless would be such a turn on for me- Jesus- Minghao, what are you doing to me.”

Come afternoon, Jeonghan was sitting back in Seungcheol’s hospital bed, curled into his side as the nurses checked both their vitals.  
“I’ll miss you.” Seungcheol said quietly, half asleep as Jeonghan drew circles into his jaw with his thumb.  
“Don’t be dramatic, you’ll be home soon as well.” Jeonghan teased, Seungcheol huffing a laugh into his hair and pressing a soft kiss to the crown of his head. He knew he wouldn’t be home for a while, but Jeonghan could believe whatever got him through.  
“You can stay at my place whenever you want, you know.” Seungcheol added and he didn’t want to seem too clingy but he’d missed having Jeonghan in his kitchen late at night or taking naps together in their bed. His apartment had never felt so empty when Jeonghan had left.   
“Maybe I will.” Jeonghan said, deep in thought as he trailed his thumb down Seungcheol’s jaw, curling his fingers into his hair. He had missed having a shower that didn’t run cold every 3 minutes.  
“I might come home to find you asleep in my bed, that’d be nice.” Seungcheol teased, making Jeonghan giggle into his chest. They were silent for a moment and it wasn’t uncomfortable anymore, it was contented silence. Jeonghan sighed deeply,  
“Cheol, I’ve got to tell you something.” He finally said and Seungcheol shifted to look at him better now, meeting his eyes in concern.  
“What is it?” He asked, wishing he could brush the hair back from Jeonghan’s face, but knowing his injured shoulder wouldn’t let him. Jeonghan looked nervous now.  
“Mingyu came to visit me.” He said shortly, tucking his hair behind his ear himself and looking down at the sheets for a moment until Seungcheol kissed his forehead to make him look up.  
“Do you want to tell me what the deal is with you both?” Seungcheol had guessed about twenty-percent, but he wanted to hear it from Jeonghan and if Jeonghan didn’t want to talk about it then he’d wait. Jeonghan knew that question was coming, but it still made his heart drop again.  
“We- we dated- no not really dated- we sort of-” He cut himself off, sitting up and huffing in frustration as he looked down at Seungcheol who was staring up at him blankly.  
“Start from the beginning, it’s okay.” Seungcheol soothed, linking their fingers in Jeonghan’s lap and waiting patiently for Jeonghan to continue. It was a few minutes before Jeonghan gathered his thoughts, but the moment he’d calmed, he poured out the same story he’d told Joshua. It was a little more detailed now that he was telling Seungcheol, like the added parts in which Mingyu drunkenly outed Jeonghan to room full of his classmates, then expected Jeonghan to blow him afterwards. Even drunk-Jeonghan had known that wasn’t fair. Once he’d finished, Seungcheol was looking up at him in concern. He had so many questions.  
“Why are you still friends with him? Why don’t you just cut him off?” Seungcheol finally asked, but Jeonghan was laughing, no humour in the sound at all.  
“Why would I do that? I’d ruin everything for him and Ava and they’re happy. She’d never understand why Mingyu and I were no longer friends and she wouldn’t stop until we’d tell her the reason. They were my friends once and that doesn’t just change because-” Jeonghan began explaining, but Seungcheol was cutting in with a shake of his head.  
“No, it’s not fair on you, though,” He looked up at Jeonghan with those softest eyes and if Jeonghan knew better he’d probably give him anything he wanted so long as Seungcheol kept looking at him like that, “It’s painfully obvious- he’s still in love with you, Jeonghan. You have to sort it out with him or he’ll keep having false hope about it all. You can’t love two people at once, it’s that simple, you should talk to him.” Seungcheol said and he hated the fact that he sounded like a jealous boyfriend. He didn’t want to sound like that, maybe back the day he met Mingyu, but not now. Jeonghan stared at him a beat longer before leaning down and curling back into his side, fiddling with the hem of Seungcheol’s hospital gown.  
“I know.” Jeonghan said shortly, but it was as if he already knew he had to talk to Mingyu about this all, “I miss him being my friend, it was so much easier like that.” Seungcheol smiled at his words, linking his arm around Jeonghan’s shoulder and brushing his hair back.   
“Thank you for telling me.” Seungcheol finally spoke and Jeonghan looked up at him from the place on his chest, smiling softly and pressing a quick kiss to his lips.  
Like most things, the moment lasted a mere few minutes more, until a nurse bustled in to take Jeonghan back to his room to help him get ready to go home. Hansol was standing at his door when they arrived at his room, leaning against the doorframe with a clean set of clothes for him and a coy smile.  
“What’s got you in such a good mood?” Jeonghan asked suspiciously, because it for sure was not him returning home.  
“Our prodigal son is coming home, why else would I be so happy?” Hansol smirked, following him into his room and sitting down on the edge of the bed, thanking the nurse as she left.  
“I think we both know why else you’d be so happy, you dog.” Jeonghan jested, letting Hansol untie his gown from the back before helping him put his shirt on. Hansol scoffed, gently smacking Jeonghan’s shoulder,  
“Like you can talk! You’ve just got back from our beloved Seungcheol-Hyung’s private room, it’s not like you could have possibly kept it PG in there.” Hansol teased, straightening out Jeonghan’s sweater as he stood up to pull on his boxers.  
“Actually, it was pretty much completely PG, Hansol.” Jeonghan sassed back and somewhere in his being it became aggravating that Hansol had gotten action within the last few hours- Jeonghan was thankfully spared the details- and he had last seen a dick other than his own almost 2 months ago.   
“Blowjobs aren’t included in Parental Guidance, Hyung.” Hansol deadpanned, letting him pull his jeans on as he pulled Jeonghan’s hair into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, flattening the longer hair over the recently-growing parts.   
“There were- sadly- no blowjobs.” Jeonghan sighed, rolling his shoulders before he slowly stood up. He was stable, but his head sometimes spinned a little too wildly for him to deem appropriate for a perfectly healthy patient. He was still on medication, but he was slowly gaining strength. Hansol gripped his elbow as he watched Jeonghan close his eyes for a moment.  
“You’re okay?” Hansol questioned, a little concerned as he looped an arm around Jeonghan’s waist. He nodded and Hansol took it as a sign for them to get moving, “Jisoo-Hyung would’ve come to do this part with you, but he’s being disgusting with Wonwoo and they’re picking up your meds now. Seungkwan is waiting at home with Jun and Minghao.” Hansol said quickly.  
“Jisoo and Wonwoo are being disgusting? What did I miss out on?” Jeonghan asked in exasperation, heading to the front desk at his ward. Hansol shook his head with a groan.  
“I don’t know, I can’t keep up with Jisoo-Hyung.” Hansol exaggerated, handing Jeonghan a clipboard to fill out his form of exit. Jeonghan smirked, ticking an array of boxes and scribbling down some short sentences,  
“None of us can keep up with him, don’t worry.” He answered, signing his name at the bottom of the form and handing it back to the nurse at the desk before bowing and shaking her hand. Hansol did the same before they made their way to the waiting room,  
“Oh, I forgot to mention, Soonyoung and Jihoon were supposed to come but Jihoon’s mother fell sick and Soonyoung drove him down so they could stay with her for a few days until she gets better.” He paused outside the waiting room doors, “We really missed you, by the way, Hyung.” His voice was steady and Jeonghan could tell he meant it as he briefly pulled him into a hug.

The afternoon seemed to flash by, for Jeonghan anyway. Minghao wasn’t exactly feeling it go by so quickly, but he was grateful that Jeonghan was home and healthy and safe now. Jun pulled him aside after they’d eaten,  
“Hao, I know you’re getting impatient, but just keep your hands to yourself a little longer, okay?” Jun said firmly, but Minghao could handle that now, he was simply being a tease now.   
“How much longer though?” Minghao whined like a toddler and Jun scoffed, observing his neck and collarbones again. He’d applied foundation that morning, but the coverage wasn’t exactly made for hickies.  
“A bit longer.” Jun said distractedly, tilting Minghao’s chin up, “Did you bring your foundation?” He asked, running his thumb over the marks to try and smudge the liquid in further.  
“Yeah, it’s in my bag,” Minghao said with a shrug and Jun realised he hadn’t yet connected the dots, “Didn’t I do my eyeliner well today?” He added with a smile and Jun couldn’t help but smile at that.  
“It’s gorgeous, baby, but your hickies are coming through. I’ll get your bag.” Jun said smoothly, knowing Minghao would be embarrassed about it if he had known sooner.  
“Are- are you serious? Jun, you are- honest to God- the worst.” Minghao blushed as Jun winked at him, backing down the hallway to grab his bag from the living room and pushing him into the bathroom.  
Jeonghan had enjoyed himself, but the fact that Seungcheol wasn’t there had really shown. Maybe it was because that was all that occupied his mind, but when he lay in his bed that evening he felt a little emotionless. Everyone had someone today- Hansol and Seungkwan, Wonwoo and Joshua, Minghao and Jun- and Seungcheol and himself, yet his absence was painfully obvious. Now that he lay in bed, his bed, it felt almost wrong. He knew that Seungcheol was perfectly safe and okay at hospital, but maybe it felt better knowing he was at least sleeping under the same roof as him. It was now that his bed felt too big and he wondered if it would feel the same if he slept in Seungcheol’s for the night, probably. He missed having Seungcheol near him, around him, inside him, anything actually. He just missed being with Seungcheol, laying in his hospital bed or watching him draw at unGodly hours of the night. He hadn’t really had the pleasure of spending a great deal of time with him and it was only strange to think that he didn’t even know that many things about Seungcheol. He didn’t know where he went to school after the incident, didn’t know his favourite colour or favourite food or when he first realised he liked boys. Lying in his bed, his headphones drilling a sleep playlist into his brain as he curled up on his side, he realised he didn’t know Seungcheol half as well as he wanted to. He decided, in that moment, that he was going to play 20 questions with Seungcheol at visitation tomorrow and he’d learn everything. He couldn’t waste another moment living a life where he loved someone he hardly knew. Seungcheol probably felt the same way.

The moment they got home, Jun started making coffee. Minghao was taken aback for a moment and as he pulled himself onto the counter beside the coffee machine, Jun almost just gave in.  
“Are you going to teach me?” Minghao asked eyes sparkling with excitement and mischief. He knew the game Jun was playing.  
“Hm?” He hummed in response, stirring the coffee with disinterest. Minghao blinked, playing coy before jutting his bottom lip out in a pout, reaching for Jun’s arm to make him look at him. He might have been deprived of any sexual, physical contact, but one thing he prided himself in was dirty talk.  
“But, Junnie, I thought you were going to teach me how to cum like I’ve earned it.” Minghao shot out, eyes wide and innocent. Jun looked at him incredulously, jaw dropped in disbelief,  
“Wh- what did you just say?” Jun asked, aghast at his words and trying his best to stable himself against the countertop.  
“I said that I thought you were going to teach me how to-” Minghao began again, unfazed by the words that left his mouth. The thing about MInghao was that he’d read maybe close to an entire library, so his vocabulary and knowledge was extensive, but he’d never so much as put anything into play before. He was incredibly good at flirting, dirty talk and scrabble. Oh, and reciting poetry, that was a speciality that he could do in three languages.  
“N-no, I didn’t m- I heard you perfectly, Hao, I just don’t understand how- where the fuck did that come from?” Jun stuttered eloquently, because 5 hours Minghao was crying about his lack of knowledge when it came to sex, but here he was on their kitchen counter talking about cum like it were a pasta topping. No, maybe not a pasta topping, maybe like another useless metaphor.  
“I read a lot, Jun, you know that.” Minghao shrugged and Jun stood there like a zombie, processing the explanation.  
“About sex?” He frowned and Minghao smiled, shaking his head as he brushed his hair out of his face.  
“About everything, sex and gore and horror and fantasy. I sort of become immune to things like this, I used to read the dirty talk and then skip past the sex scenes because I thought they were bad. I can do it with gore as well.” Hao said proudly and Jun was laughing in confusion, pushing his thighs apart to stand between his legs at the counter.  
“You’re so weird, I love it,” He leant forward to press a kiss to his lips, “Go on, do it for gore.” Jun pressed on in amusement, brushing lint off Minghao’s sweater. He’d changed clothes since getting home and he really did seem a lot more comfortable now that he wasn’t surrounded by people.  
“Okay, hang on,” Minghao nodded, pausing a second to think, clearing his throat to turn his voice to something a little darker, “I want to tear your esophagus out with my teeth and lick your insides clean with my tongue. I wonder how your lungs taste.”   
“You are so weird, I love it.” Jun laughed, making Minghao giggle at his reaction, “How do you come up with this stuff?” He asked, wrapping his arms around his waist to pull his body down from the countertop and guide him to their room.  
“I don’t know, I just pick it up, I guess.” Minghao shrugged, pausing again as they neared their bedroom door, “It can be a mood killer though, especially when I actually do want you to teach me how to cum like I’ve earned it.” He added, sliding Jun’s hands down to his hips and tapping on the bedside lamp. He pushed himself up onto the bed, toes dangling off the edge as he leant back on his hands, waiting for Jun’s next move.  
“When have I ever said no to you?” He asked rhetorically, leaning down so his knee sat between Minghao’s thigh on the mattress, hands steadying himself either side of his body and leaning down to kiss him softly. Minghao pulled back a moment, holding Jun’s gaze before surging back towards his lips and letting Jun push him onto his back, crawling over his body now, “What did you want to start with tonight, baby?” Jun added, leaning back to Minghao’s neck and tasting the foundation against his lips with a groan of annoyance.  
“My makeup? Shall I take it off?” Minghao quickly caught on, but Jun was shaking his head with a smirk, running his thumb over Minghao’s glossed lips.  
“Don’t ruin the mood,” Jun said shortly, then leaning down to nip at Hao’s earlobe, “So, what am I in for tonight?” He reiterated and Minghao smiled, eyes falling shut as he felt Jun’s tongue tracing his cartilage and pulling a piercing into his mouth. Minghao breathed,  
“I was thinking, maybe, handjobs tonight?” He said smoothly and Jun was surprised that he didn’t stutter. Their room was warmer than when they were at Jeonghan’s and Jun thought it might’ve been because Seungkwan had forgotten to pay the gas bill, but Jun had remembered and had no problem in tearing his sweater over his head, reaching impatiently for the hem of Hao’s.  
“A good place to start,” Jun said softly, momentarily losing sight of Minghao’s face behind the fabric, “Tell me if you want to stop, okay?” Jun added in the most considerate voice he could manage, but somewhere, deep down, he knew that Minghao wouldn’t need him to. Somewhere, deep down, Jun had been waiting for this. Minghao nodded his understanding, reaching for the back of Jun’s neck to pull him into another fierce kiss, letting Jun have his way now, biting and bruising his lips until they were swollen and tender. He groaned, leaning back into the sheets with his hand still on Jun’s neck, feeling his knee press gently at his crotch before he leant to nip at his chest for the second- wonderful- time that day. Minghao had never really bagged himself as the sensitive type- but really how was he to know- and had always thought himself as someone who might be a struggle to please when it came to sex. But now, with Jun’s teeth sucking at his nipples and tearing down over his clavicle and collarbones, he realised how far from the truth he was. He was sensitive and vocal- oh, so vocal- for Jun, moaning and whining and keening to his side as his grip weakened on Jun’s neck.  
“M-my pants- you can take them off.” Hao stuttered as Jun reached his hip bones, jutting sharply under his skin from his weight loss. Jun looked up at him and shifted off the bed, undoing his pants swiftly and kissing at his navel before pulling them down to his ankles and onto the floor in a quick flourish. It was slow and cautious and every movement felt like it had to be thought through, but when Jun’s lips were on his thighs, sucking hickey’s that had his legs closing around his head, Minghao didn’t mind how slow it would take for him to get off. Jun pulled away after a few minutes, looking up at him with swollen lips before climbing off his body and moving to sit with his back against the headrest of their bed, legs spread wide for Minghao to sit between. He beckoned him there, watching as as Hao pushed himself up on shaky arms to shuffle between Jun’s hips, facing him on his knees.   
“Turn around,” Jun said quietly, manhandling him so Hao’s back was against his chest, the fabric of his jeans rough against Hao’s thighs, “Are you comfortable?” He added, running a hand through Minghao’s soft hair and down to his neck to kiss where his hand lay. He nodded his response, taking a moment before he trusted his voice,  
“W-What about you? You’ll ruin your pants.” Minghao said in concern, sliding his hands down Jun’s thighs and turning to look at him over his shoulder.   
“Wait your turn, baby, just focus on yourself for now. You can worry about me later.” Jun said, pressing butterfly kisses from his neck to his shoulder and back again. Hao nodded, watching as Jun’s hands trailed up and down his body, fingernails catching on toned skin, enough to make him whine. He was getting impatient now and Jun could tell from the way he bucked his hips and whipped his head to the side in a silent offering of his neck.   
“Come on, Hyung, get on with it.” He whined impatiently and Jun raised an eyebrow at him. He never called him Hyung nowadays, said he was getting too old for that now and that he’d know Jun too long to have to keep up the mannerisms. Jun smirked to himself, letting Hao sink further down his body so his head was slouched back against his shoulder, his hands gripping Jun’s thighs in desperation. Jun gave in. He ran his hands from the base of Hao’s cock all the way to the tip, slow and torturous as he flicked a finger over the head. It was obvious that Minghao wouldn’t hold out and Jun had known that from the beginning, but what was the fun if he didn’t even try to make him wait a bit? Minghao moaned, low and deep in the back of his throat at the mere feeling of someone else touching him other than himself. Jun eyed him from over his shoulder, watching as his eyes fell shut, dark lashes against pale skin as a furrow formed between his brows.  
“Open your eyes, Hao.” Jun said softly, nipping at his neck and dragging his hand up and down his length, a little more rhythmically, but leaning to his bedside drawer to grab a bottle of lube, “You can practice on me once I’m done, so pay attention.” He added, flicking the cap and pulling his hand away from Hao to warm the lube between his fingers. Minghao nodded, opening his eyes and gritting his teeth at the loss of contact, before Jun put a tight, slick fist above his cock and pushed down to jerk at his length. Jun was surprised with Minghao, he really was, for someone who had nearly never masturbated, Hao was very pliant. He bucked back up into Jun’s hand and occupied his hands with either gripping into Jun’s thighs or tracing shapes over his own body. What had surprised Jun the most, however, was that Minghao had shaved. He wondered if this meant that Hao had been ready for a while now. No one just simply knew how to shave like a stripper on the downlow.   
“Ngh- f-faster, please-” Hao was really moaning now, voice shaking and pleading and more beautiful than Jun’s late-night-fantasies at perceived. From now on, this was the only sound he wanted to hear. Jun quickened his fist, jerking him off a little faster and watching as Minghao struggled to keep his eyes focused, drowsily falling shut every few minutes from lust and pleasure. It wasn’t long after that Minghao began crying out, whining that he was going to cum between laboured breaths and whiny moans.  
“Doing so well, so good, baby.” Jun encouraged and maybe, just maybe, Minghao had a bit of a thing for Jun praising him like this. He keened, thrashing his head away from Jun as he moaned into his knuckles, Jun nuzzling his exposed neck and tearing him through his high until his body lay spent between his legs.  
“F-fuck, oh God-” Minghao was breathing heavily, eyes dazed and drowsy as he looked at Jun over his shoulder, meeting him for a messy kiss. Jun realised something now that seemed to be a little too lovely than he’d imagined. Minghao’s lips were damp, he’d been drooling, sucking on his lips and pulling the swollen flesh between his teeth.  
“Feel better?” Jun asked softly as he pulled away, brushing Hao’s sweaty bangs from his forehead and kissing his nose affectionately. Minghao giggled and Jun couldn’t decipher whether it was from the nose kisses or his question.  
“A lot better,” He murmured, voice still sounding a little distant as he took his time with composing himself, “I-is it my turn?” He asked hesitantly and Jun smiled softly, cradling Minghao in his arms now.  
“I don’t know if you can mange, you look exhausted.” Jun giggled, reaching for a handful of tissues to clean his hand of lube and cum, then doing the same for Minghao’s lower stomach and thighs.  
“I’ve got stamina, honestly, I just wasn’t expecting that someone else touching me would be that- that intense.” Minghao tried to explain a little embarrassed as he turned in Jun’s hold, but it wasn’t really at the forefront of his mind whether Minghao had stamina or not. He’d still like Minghao if he only ever managed to get off himself and Jun had to deal with himself afterwards. It was enough to just see Minghao’s ‘Oh’ face.   
“Give yourself a moment, your body isn’t completely used to this feeling yet.” Jun explained, Minghao looking at him in surprise, “Only because you’re still shaking, Hao, I’m not actually a mind-reader.” He smiled, shifting from behind Minghao as he attempted throwing the tissues on the trashcan across the room. It was an epic fail and Minghao found himself snorting in amusement.  
“I’m ready, come on, off.” Minghao finally spoke, moments after sobering his laughter. Jun looked up at him in surprise as he shifted onto his knees and reached for the waistband of Jun’s jeans. It was unusual seeing Minghao like this, Jun had thought about it a fair few times, but in his scenarios Minghao had been- well- a lot more experienced than two orgasms in his entire life. Minghao surprised himself when he reached for Jun’s zipper, but he wasn’t far in when Jun pulled him in by the waist and kissed him harshly. He was caught by surprise, the breath catching in his throat before he melted into Jun’s hold, fingers still lingering on his waistband and trying to tug the fabric down.   
“You’re eager tonight, hm?” Jun hummed against his lips as he lifted his hips to pull his jeans and boxers off in one, kicking them away from Minghao. It was silent for a moment and Jun finally realised that it was because Minghao was staring at his cock. His eyes were blown wide, almost hungry, as his hands stuttered on Jun’s waist, shuffling back into the space between his legs.   
“Y-you’re, a lot bigger than me.” Minghao got out, fascination hinting his voice as he finally looked up at Jun with those pretty, dark eyes. His fingers were hesitant at first, but Jun lazily leant back, pumping himself a few times before Hao mustered the courage to do it for himself. Jun eyed him carefully. He almost couldn’t believe that such a beautiful boy was kneeling between his legs, eyes sparkling everytime he looked back up at him. He really was lucky. It was funny to think that the same innocent boy who’d asked him to compliment his eyeliner was now sat in his bed with his cock in his hands.   
“You’re doing well, the lube’s on the side when you’re ready.” Jun said softly, gripping a hand in his hair and cocking his head to watch Minghao’s concentration. He was going to let Hao do things when and how he wanted, it was all down to him. It was almost like a game this way and Jun was definitely not winning if Minghao kept looking up at him like that; like he wanted to run his tongue along his length and devour him in one.   
“Am I doing okay?” Hao asked tentatively as he reached for the bottle on the bedside table, flicking the cap the same as Jun had done and warming it in his hands. Jun nodded, leaning forward to kiss his bangs as he leant back down to run his hand over Jun’s length, fingers slick and tighter now. He was doing exactly what Jun had done for him, he’d remembered, even in a hazy state of euphoria, he’d remembered.  
“You’re doing perfectly.” He paused a second, letting out a groan before recovering. Minghao was good at this, better than Jun had expected, “You can go quicker, don’t hesitate.” He added and Minghao looked up to nod his understanding before he quickened his hand, making Jun momentarily panic as to why he’d asked him to do that because he was seeing stars now. Jun groaned out, eyes shutting on instinct as he curled his fingers into his hair, making Hao moan at the feeling, surprising him. Maybe Minghao liked things a little rough, after all. It wasn’t everyday that Minghao had these surges of confidence, but here he was, leaning forward now, his hand rhythmically jerking between them, as he bit and nipped at Jun’s chest and neck. Jun was more than surprised, he gasped, holding Minghao closer by the hair and reaching to pull Minghao’s waist into his body.  
“Mh, you sound pretty.” Minghao mumbled into his skin, flicking his tongue over his nipples, just like Jun had done to him. Jun groaned out again and Minghao was quickening his hand yet again, watching as Jun’s lips fell open, enticing and so inviting. Minghao surged forward and finally Jun knew he was going to cum. He groaned out and Minghao felt the sound resonating through his own chest as he kept the pace up, finally feeling Jun cave into his resolve, coming into Hao’s fist and over his stomach. He cried out, low in his chest and Hao wondered how his voice could sound so low and rich and beautiful when he’d sounded so whiny and high-pitched. Jun was panting and Minghao only realised he was still moving his fist over Jun’s length when he moaned, pushing his wrist away in overstimulation. He muttered a quick apology, kissing at Jun’s neck and shoulders until he smiled warmly down at Minghao.  
“You look proud of yourself.” Jun muttered, eyes still a little hazy, but he’s come down from his high and was now reaching for tissues again, “As you rightly should be.” He winked, wiping Minghao’s hand and raising an eyebrow as it was pulled away from him.  
“W-wait.” Hao said meekly and Jun watched as he suddenly dipped two cum-covered fingers into his mouth, groaning in the back of his throat before his eyes closed. He pulled them away from his mouth, smiling to himself as he looked at his saliva-slicked fingers, clean of any trace of Jun, “I’ve always wanted to try that.” He shrugged and Jun was positively going to die if he kept this up.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just bear with me, okay???

Seungcheol was getting restless. Jeonghan had come in everyday and as great as that was, he wanted to be at home with Jeonghan now. Everytime a nurse came into check his vitals he questioned it, even begged his doctor, but they still wanted him here a little longer. ‘A little longer’ always meant something closer to two, maybe three, weeks and that had no right to have the word ‘little’ in the phrase.  
Jeonghan had fallen asleep in his hospital bed again and Seungcheol couldn’t help but smile. His hair was, yet again, tied at the nape of his neck, styled to cover the shorter tufts of hair that were growing back. Seungcheol had only gotten glimpses of the damage and he knew it made Jeonghan uncomfortable so he didn’t pry. Jeonghan’s hair was his pride and he hated knowing that his precious Jeonghan’s pride had been hurt. He stirred beside him and Seungcheol was smiling again.

As Jeonghan was signing out from visitation, he suddenly felt someone staring at him. It was unnerving and for a horrifying second he thought he needed to start running, but when he turned around it was none other than Mingyu at the end of the corridor. He smiled softly, quickly signing his name and making down the corridor to face him with a smile. This was his chance to talk to him like Seungcheol had said, only there was something different about him now. Jeonghan’s smile managed to fade. Mingyu’s eyes were deepset, dark and sorrowful like he hadn’t slept in a week, his hair was unruly and his clothes- that were usually immaculate- had been replaced with a pair of cropped jeans and a worn hoodie.   
“M-Mingyu?” Jeonghan said softly, reaching for his wrist, but Mingyu was stepping back, “What’s happened? What’s the matter?” He asked, trying to guide him to the plastic waiting room seats, but Mingyu wasn’t moving. His eyes were looking past Jeonghan now and it was a moment before Mingyu registered him again.  
“Jeonghan.” He said shortly, almost sounding surprised to see him, “I- I need to go, I’m afraid.” He said apologetically, trying to turn away, but Jeonghan wasn’t having this. Mingyu quickly strode to the entrance and Jeonghan was trailing after him, eyes wide in concern, before he forcefully pulled Mingyu outside, away from the entrance.  
“Mingyu, what’s going on?” Jeonghan said sharply and Mingyu was stumbling backwards as if he’d been hit. It was now that Jeonghan realised that Mingyu might’ve been crying.  
“J-Jeonghan,” He stuttered and Jeonghan watched him as he dissolved, eyes filling as he sobbed into the sleeve of his sweater, “I-I’m- Ava is-” And Jeonghan knew only three possible outcomes to that sentence- sick, pregnant or dead.  
“Just breathe a moment.” Jeonghan said softly and Mingyu did, but it was laboured and verging on a panic attack. Why must every panic attack happen outside this Goddamned hospital, Jeonghan thought sourly. Mingyu sobered a few moments later, collecting his thoughts evening his breathing out enough to speak steadily now.  
“A-Ava- she’s pregnant,” Mingyu spoke through sobs, Ah there it is, pregnant, Jeonghan thought, “And I’m not the father.”

Joshua was well acquainted with quick fucks. He was impressive really and when Jeonghan was rushed through the story of how Ava had gotten drunkenly raped at a party with her friends, Jeonghan knew that Joshua would know this wasn’t true. Mingyu had collapsed against the wall after falling into another fit of sobs, but something was still… off. Joshua arrived twenty minutes later to collect Jeonghan, only to find him sitting with Mingyu on the grass outside the entrance.  
“Jeonghan! Must I remind you that you’re narrowly recovering from being in that place? Where is your coat, you fool!” Jisoo snapped, suddenly hesitating as the atmosphere between them both, finally hit him. He looked between them, only to slide his coat off and wrap it around Jeonghan’s shoulders, “I’ll be waiting in the car with Wonwoo.” He said quietly, zipping the coat for Jeonghan as if he were a child.  
“I-I’m sorry, Jisoo, I should’ve been more thoughtful.” Mingyu spoke anxiously, voice shaky and broken and Jeonghan sighed, shaking his head at Mingyu.  
“No, it’s fine, It’s not your fault.” Jeonghan said softly, quickly thanking Jisoo before he disappeared back into the parking lot. 

Jisoo had lost track of how much longer Jeonghan had been with Mingyu once he’d left, but it must’ve been a while. Wonwoo had gotten a little too caught up in his presence when he returned to the car and they’d ended up desperately making out across the console.  
“Do you think he’s alright?” Wonwoo finally spoke and Jisoo groaned. Well, that was a mood-killer. Jisoo leant back, tracing his fingers across his knuckles and deciding that he wasn’t actually done with those hickey’s just yet.  
“Of course, I gave him my jacket. Jeonghan knows how to stand up for hi-” Jisoo was mumbling into his collarbones, nipping at his flesh and eyeing the tattoos under his shirt. They really were something else.  
“Not Jeonghan,” Wonwoo interrupted him, wriggling as he tried to tilt his head to get a better angle, “I meant Mingyu.” Wonwoo said, reciting the story Jisoo had rushed out on his return. Joshua was well and truly done now, that was the last time Wonwoo ruined the mood.  
“Ugh, why does everyone care about Mingyu so much? What’s the worst that could’ve happened?-” Jisoo was groaning in frustration, but Wonwoo was cutting in again.  
“Well, someone could’ve died, Jisoo.” Wonwoo said dramatically and if Joshua had of still been kissing his neck, he probably would’ve left the car by now, but sadly he didn’t have an excuse to now.  
“Okay, well, yes,” Joshua was saying, “But he did Jeonghan so wrong and then continued to lead him on.” He tried to justify, but Wonwoo was shaking his head, a soft smile playing at his lips.  
“But he still doesn’t deserve whatever struggle he’s going through.” Wonwoo explained and Joshua was frowning.  
“Well, how do you know that? He could’ve taken someone else’s life for all you know. This could be karma coming around to do her dirty work.” He retorted, raising a challenging eyebrow now, but Wonwoo was smirking indignantly.  
“Take it from someone who was abused for the majority of his life- people don’t just deserve shit because of their prior mistakes. You’ll live a bitter life if you hold grudges, Jisoo.” Wonwoo shrugged and Joshua almost understood. His heart dropped when he was reminded of Wonwoo’s past, though, they’d never directly talked about it, only in passing.  
“I-I’m sorry.” He muttered out, avoiding Wonwoo’s gaze for a while, but Wonwoo was smiling softly, reaching for Joshua’s face between his fingers.  
“You don’t need to apologise. None of what you said was wrong. I lived that way for a long time, but in the end it only ever hurts the person who is holding the grudge.” Wonwoo said smoothly, “Someone once said that holding a grudge is like holding onto a hot coal and expecting the other person to burn.” He added and Jisoo was pressing a heated kiss back against his lips, chasing after him when he tried to pull back for air. It was a few slow moments later that Wonwoo managed to pull away, breathless and flushed, “W-what was that for?” He questioned, thumbing at Joshua’s cheekbone and hungrily eyeing his lips again. They were quiet for a moment and Joshua smiled cheekily,  
“It’s hot when you give me life lessons.” He shrugged, leaning forward to meet his lips again, only to be interrupted by the click of the backseat doors opening, “We love a king that ruins the moment, Jeonghan.” He added, groaning and scrunching his nose, only to whip around to find Mingyu and Jeonghan getting into the backseat.  
“Mh, sorry, I didn’t know parking lots were a place to be getting it on nowadays.” Jeonghan quipped, pulling his belt across his body and trying to telepathically speak to Joshua, “Mingyu’s going to join us for dinner tonight.” He added aloud and Wonwoo gave Jisoo a subtle look to remind him of their prior conversation.  
“Sounds good, what do you want, Mingyu? Fried chicken? Or Tteokbokki? We can get whatever on the way home.” Joshua said, pulling into drive as they got settled, Wonwoo slid a hand onto his thigh, subtle enough to make it seem like PDA and not a reassuring gesture.  
“O-oh, I don’t mind. Wh-who else is joining us?” Mingyu asked nervously and Wonwoo twisted around to face him with a smile, properly looking at him now.  
“Oh, he’s cute, Joshua.” Wonwoo let slip, clasping a hand over his mouth in embarrassment before Jisoo managed to smack him on the back of his head, “Wonwoo.” He added, extending his hand as he twisted in his seat and Mingyu giggled, running a hand through his hair.  
“Mingyu,” He responded and Wonwoo nodded, “You work at the tattoo place in the highstreet?” He added, recognising him from the day he’d driven past to get Ava’s things. Wonwoo nodded again,  
“Yeah, Seungcheol’s place,” Wonwoo said, rolling his sleeves up to show Mingyu the ink that curved around his forearm. A dragon on the left and a half-sleeve of flowers, mostly peonies, on his right, “He’s really good at his job. You should come by sometime, maybe we’ll give you something pretty on your neck. A neck tattoo would look nice, just a small one- Oh! Or maybe a collarbone one, what d’you think, Jisoo? It’d look great, right?” Wonwoo began rambling and, really, it was a shame Seungcheol wasn’t here to fawn over the idea with him. Joshua would have to do for now.   
“Sounds good, Woo-ah, sounds good.” He smiled across at him, shifting his eyes back to the road as he blindly felt for Wonwoo’s thigh.  
“Oh, thank you,” Mingyu said bashfully and Jeonghan honestly couldn’t even imagine Mingyu in a tattoo parlour, he wouldn’t be seen there dead, “S-so, who was coming tonight?” He added, awkwardly trying to guide the conversation back to his original question. Joshua replied this time,  
“So, I think it’ll be us four, Hansol and Seungkwan, but I don’t know about the others.” He turned off down the highstreet to a string of fast food joints and a superstore at the end.  
“Jihoon and Soonyoung can come too!” Wonwoo exclaimed, holding his phone up, “Oh, and Seokmin and Channie. It’s going to be good! We’ll get drinks as well, who got their pay cheque this month?” He added and Jeonghan was groaning in exasperation, thinking of the extra shifts he’d taken on at the vocal training complex and realising his pay cheque wouldn’t be through for another week.  
“Well, it definitely wasn’t you, Wonwoo.” Jisoo said in exasperation, “I’ve been literally paying for your entire wellbeing.” He sassed, pulling into the supermarkets parking lot and leaning forward to try and find an empty space. It was 4pm on a Saturday and almost the entire city seemed to be buying food for their families or booze for parties as they got out the car.   
“Decided what we’re getting, Mingyu?” Wonwoo asked, pulling Jisoo into his side so they could link their fingers over his shoulder.  
“Well, how about I cook? I’m actually not too bad and that way we can have a range of dishes so there will be something for everyone.” He asked hesitantly and Jeonghan was nodding in excitement.  
“Oh, yes! I miss your cooking, you used to make the best food back in college, we hardly ever ate out.” Jeonghan clapped his hands and reached for a shopping cart, pushing through doors and nabbing a scanner.  
“This isn’t the mysterious person that taught you to cook, Jeonghan?” Joshua asked, handing the scanner to Wonwoo as he picked up a family sized bag of rice.  
“The one and only.” Mingyu said with a smirk and Jeonghan was laughing, handing Wonwoo the bag of lentils that he knew Seungkwan liked.   
“What are you talking about? I could cook before I met you!” Jeonghan exclaimed and that only made Mingyu keel over in fits of giggles.   
“Cute that you think instant ramen and pot noodles is considered cooking.” Mingyu got out between laughter and Jisoo was giggling along, but Wonwoo was lightly smacking him on the back.  
“Oh, like you know how to fry an egg, Jisoo.” Wonwoo taunted and Jeonghan was laughing now, recalling the evenings Jisoo had been demoted to cutting vegetables because he was useless.

Mingyu was in the kitchen, rushing from surface to surface with a spatula and apron tied loosely at his hips. Seungkwan was eyeing him from the doorway and Hansol couldn’t bring himself to be angry, but he could bring himself to join in.  
“How long had Jeonghan known him again?” Seungkwan asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Hansol shrugged, tilting his head as Mingyu dabbed his brow with the back of his wrist.   
“Since college? I’m not sure.” Hansol responded, blatantly ignoring Jeonghan’s calls to get Seokmin and Chan a drink. Seungkwan sighed,   
“He’s quite delicious.” He preened, running his fingers through his hair and cocking his head along with Hansol, “I always imagined him as this old, rich bachelor, I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the name.”   
“Hansol! Will you please get Seokmin and Chan a drink, they’d find water quicker in the desert if you keep this up.” Jeonghan yelled from behind them, a few feet away now and not from across the apartment like before. They both seemed to jump from their daze and Jeonghan was rolling his eyes, watching as Hansol dragged his feet with a distasteful look.  
“Oh, Jun and Minghao are coming as well. I meant to tell you earlier, but we were keeping an eye on… dinner.” Seungkwan winked and Jeonghan was positively going to vomit in his hair if Seungkwan were lucky enough.  
“We’re going to look past yours and Hansol’s weird obsession with the people I bring to this apartment and we’re going to sit in the living room.” Jeonghan deadpanned, dragging Seungkwan by the wrist into their living area as Jihoon and Soonyoung arrived.  
“Hyung! How are you? How’s Seungcheol doing?” Soonyoung called, making his way to Jeonghan and wrapping his arms around his neck to hug him tightly. Jihoon followed, letting Seungkwan fawn over his recently dyed hair, it had gone from black to a dark red with a pretty undercut. Jeonghan held Soonyoung a moment longer. Out of Seungcheol’s friends, Soonyoung was the person he shared the most skinship with. Soonyoung didn’t mind Jeonghan falling asleep with his head in his lap or the absent minded fingers that he weaved into his hair, ironic how he was dating the polar-opposite of that.  
“Seungcheol’s doing well, I saw him today and he’s looking better, at least. I bumped into my friend from college, Mingyu, so he’s joined us for dinner, cooking and everything.” Jeonghan explained and Soonyoung almost squealed in excitement. They settled down, the rest joining them not long after and Mingyu was finishing up the last of their dishes, laying them out across the coffee table in the living area as Jeonghan handed plates around the room. Jeonghan was glad that Mingyu had gotten his mind off things, but it was strange seeing someone so extravagantly rich spending time with the rest of them who barely managed to afford their rent. Soonyoung shuffled up the couch, slinging his legs over Jeonghan’s thigh and curling an arm around Jihoon’s waist as he held his plate, refusing to feed Soonyoung as much as he begged.  
“So, what were you doing at the hospital?” Jihoon finally asked, as they settled into conversation and Jeonghan was reaching over Soonyoung to smack him around the head.  
“Jihoon! It’s rude to ask questions like that!” Jeonghan snapped and Jihoon stared up at him in shock, almost reaching to smack him back until Soonyoung held his wrists and force-fed him a spoonful of sticky rice.   
“N-no, it’s okay, Jeonghan,” Mingyu spoke up and everyone else’s conversations seemed to come to a halt, gazes falling to Mingyu, “My- um- my girlfriend is pregnant.” He said shortly and a cheer went around, subdued, but congratulating all the same.  
“Wow! You’re keeping the kid I guess?” Seokmin spoke now, reaching for slivers of beef to place on his and Chan’s rice. Jeonghan exchanged a glance with Mingyu and was almost intervening to try and change the subject, but Mingyu was shaking his head at the silent request and smiling softly.  
“I- well, it’s not actually mine.” Mingyu got out, a little stiffly and Jeonghan’s face fell. He wanted Mingyu to have an evening where he didn’t have to worry, yet here he was speaking about the thing worrying him most, “She said she was- was raped at a club, but I don’t really know what to believe anymore.” The group was silent and Jisoo was staring up at Wonwoo now, eyes wide in shock. He was someone who’d know about club atmosphere’s and this wasn’t one of them.  
“A-at a club? Are you sure?” Jisoo asked and Wonwoo was hitting his arm, telling him to be sensitive, but Mingyu was smiling and shaking his head.  
“Yeah, the more I think about it, the more it seems like I’m being played.” Mingyu said softly and Jun was shuffling to sit beside him now, putting a little more food on his plate whilst Minghao disappeared into the kitchen to gather the booze.   
“And it’s definitely not your kid?” Hansol asked, spooning rice into his bowl. Jeonghan was going mad. He never really thought his friends were that nosey before today, how wrong he was.  
“Definitely not my kid.” He sighed a little frustrated, “Besides, we haven’t done anything in months now. I should’ve guessed, really.” Seungkwan looked at him sympathetically, sighing along with him, but someone else spoke up before he could get there. Chan shuffled forward, taking two beers from Minghao and handing one to Mingyu,  
“My girlfriend cheated on me as well, don’t worry.” Chan voiced and Seokmin was swinging towards him, grabbing his wrist so they were almost nose to nose.  
“She- fucking- what? You didn’t tell me?” Seokmin said aggressively and as little time Jeonghan had spent with Chan, he already felt protective of him. He was quiet and clearly going through something difficult.  
“It’s easier to lie, sometimes, especially when you have two older siblings who won’t hesitate to beat the shit out of a girl for you.” Chan shrugged and Wonwoo was giggling along with Soonyoung.  
“Oh, you only think there’s two older siblings that’d beat the shit out of her, that’s cute.” Soonyoung added menacingly and Chan was smiling softly, turning back to Mingyu and settling.  
“Anyway, I’m glad she did what she did, because it gave me the chance to look at myself a bit more.” Chan always spoke softly and Seokmin knew that, but something about his voice seemed to caress every word, “I was able to realise why I was unhappy for so long and accept in myself that it was because I was denying my very own identity.” He shrugged and Wonwoo was leaning forward in his seat.  
“Is this you finally getting out the Goddamned closet?” He asked in anticipation and Chan managed a small nod, Seokmin pulling him into his arms with a smile as he kissed his forehead over and over again.  
“Jesus, it took you long enough!” Soonyoung exclaimed and Seokmin was agreeing, not letting go of Chan as he almost sobbed into his hair. Seungkwan actually was sobbing and Jeonghan was catching Mingyu’s eye. The point of Chan’s story wasn’t to tell Mingyu to turn gay and everything would be fine, it was more about learning who you truly were from a hit that had you falling to your knees. Jeonghan got out of his seat and nodded towards his bedroom for Mingyu to follow, Joshua watched on hesitantly.  
Mingyu was sighing as he looked at Jeonghan, wringing his hands in anxiety.  
“You want me to take Chan’s advice, huh?” Mingyu muttered, but Jeonghan was laughing, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair.  
“I don’t want you to take anyone’s advice, Mingyu.” Jeonghan said roughly, “I want you to do what makes you happy and Ava isn’t making you happy anymore, so why are you trying to continue things with her?” Mingyu dropped his eyes, straightening out his dress shirt as he fidgeted from foot to foot. That nervous tick never had completely faded.  
“You know why, Jeonghan.” Mingyu shook his head in aggravation, squeezing his eyes shut as he pressed the heel of his hand into his temple, “I can’t let my family down. If we marry then the companies are merged, my family gets more money, they’ll have an heir-” He began, but Jeonghan was shaking his head in annoyance.  
“Is this what it’s all about to you?” He stepped back against the door and clicked it shut so no one would hear him yell, “Does it all just come down to money for you? I knew your family thought like that, Mingyu, but I didn’t think you did.” Jeonghan was yelling now, angrily glaring him down and stepping back into the room.  
“Jeonghan, that’s not what I-” He began, trying to explain himself, but what was there to say? He really was turning into his parents.  
“Don’t you remember those days where you’d dread going to see your parents for dinner, hated how they always argued and fought with one another? You said you never wanted that to be you, yet you’re considering it because of money?” Jeonghan grit his teeth, “Do you think I fell in love with Seungcheol because of his inheritance? Wouldn’t you rather be happy and broke than miserable and rich, Mingyu?” there was silence for a few minutes and Jeonghan swore he’d never heard a noise as loud as the quiet.  
“You’re in love with him?” Mingyu reiterated and Jeonghan swallowed dryly, retracting a moment as he thought over his words.   
“Yes,” Jeonghan said quietly now and his voice felt so much harsher, too loud for the room and yet straining to be heard, “Yes, I’m in love with him, Mingyu.” Mingyu nodded smoothly and Jeonghan expected to see him staring down at him in anger or disappointment or something equally painful, but he was smiling, his eyes void of emotion.  
“I’m so glad, that was all you ever deserved.” Mingyu replied and Jeonghan looked at him in shock, “I knew I could never make you fall in love with me and even if I did, I knew I’d end up breaking your heart. I was horrible to let you go the way I did and I never even apologised, so- I know it’s late, but- I’m sorry.” Jeonghan stumbled back, his breath being knocked out of him, because as much as he’d claimed to himself that he didn’t need an apology, those words were all he’d really wanted.   
“That’s all I ever wanted to hear and now I don’t know what to say.” Jeonghan spoke, looking up at him and running his hand through his hair again. He was now very aware that the shorter patch was showing again and he groaned, trying his best to rearrange it.  
“We should cut that, you know.” Mingyu smiled, pushing his hair back from his face, but not letting his fingers linger now, “And you were right about before. I’m going to turn into my parents if I keep this up.” he dropped his head again and Jeonghan scoffed, shaking his head.  
“So? What are you going to do in order of preventing that?” Jeonghan challenged with a smirk and when Mingyu looked up at him he saw a shadow of a younger Jeonghan, playful and feisty and the person that made Mingyu’s drunken heart beat faster for.  
“Probably see if Chan wants to get dinner?” Mingyu shrugged and that caught Jeonghan off guard.  
“I thought maybe admitting you like boys and girls would’ve been a first step, but okay, go off I guess.” Jeonghan exclaimed, “I don’t know him well, but he’s a good kid and you shouldn’t just take him out because the only thing you have in common is your girlfriends cheating on you.” He added and Mingyu snorted, brushing his fingers through his hair and letting it bounce back into place with a little more volume now.  
“Jeonghan, that isn’t the reason. I thought he was cute when he came in, cute smile and soft features and all that. I didn’t really expect him to even like boys.” Mingyu explained and Jeonghan let it go for now. He nodded once and smiled again, reaching up to wrap his hands around his neck and hug him.  
“I missed you as my friend, Mingyu.” Jeonghan said softly. Mingyu giggled into his hair.  
“I missed you as my friend as well, Jeonghan.”

Seokmin hadn’t actually done a bad job. In fact, it was incredible, he was just a perfectionist. Seungkwan was crying on the sofa whenever he looked at Jeonghan and Hansol was standing in the doorway, shellshocked. Jisoo and Wonwoo had the audacity to look proud.  
“Stop looking at me like that! Let me see, Seokmin, please!” Jeonghan begged, shuffling his hands in his lap beneath the sheet cloth that was tied around his neck.   
At some point in their hazy, drunken state after Mingyu had cooked, Jisoo decided that Jeonghan’s hair was ready to go. He’d said over and over that it was ready to be chopped, but Jeonghan wasn’t ready to say goodbye to it yet. Seokmin had then declared that he actually trained as a hairdresser for two years and it was then decided that the following weekend would be the time they said goodbye to it. Jeonghan had finally agreed. What Jeonghan hadn’t agreed to was the smell of ammonia that had filled his nostrils after Seokmin discarded of his beautiful, long locks. He’d squealed and Jisoo had appeared back in the doorway, smirking and telling him to trust him, not Seokmin, him. The bastard.  
Now, Jeonghan was sleepily sitting on the stool, being spoon fed a bowl of cereal as Seokmin fussed over the finishing touches. He’d managed to fade the shorter hair into an undercut that wasn’t too drastic yet still seemed feminine enough to keep Jeonghan happy.   
“Okay, okay, he’s done.” Seokmin finally spoke and Jisoo was almost spilling the cereal in the bathroom as he rushed to put it on the nearest surface. Wonwoo was smiling in the doorway, holding Joshua’s phone up for him as he momentarily panicked to find it. Seokmin undid the makeshift sheet they’d tied around Jeonghan’s neck and shook it out before brushing the loose hairs from his neck and shoulders.  
“I’m so nervous, oh my God.” Jeonghan muttered as he got up on shaky legs, stiff from sitting down for so long. Seokmin looked at him again, smiling as he ruffled the front of Jeonghan’s hair,  
“Not my worst bit of work.” Seokmin shrugged, leading him into the living room after Wonwoo and Jisoo. Seungkwan had just about recovered from crying and Hansol had him in his lap now, nuzzling his neck as they appeared in the doorway.  
“Wonwoo, get the mirror for us,” Jisoo called, tapping record as Wonwoo carried the full-length mirror up in the living room.  
“Close your eyes.” Wonwoo called and Seokmin was giggling, laughing at how dramatic this all seemed to be.   
“Okay, okay, just let me see!” Jeonghan groaned and Seokmin was telling him he could open his eyes as guided him towards the mirror. The person reflected back at him was someone he’d never seen before. Well, it had features of him, but it seemed so distant to what he imagined himself like, “Holy shit.” He mumbled, leaning into the glass as he turned his head, bowing to try and spot the shorter patch and not finding it.   
“What do you think?” Seokmin asked expectantly, but Jeonghan was silent. He looked gorgeous. He wondered why he’d been so afraid of cutting it in the first place if he looked like this. And never did he think that an undercut would suit him. It all framed his face so nicely and Seokmin had done such a good job of trying to keep it still mildly feminine.   
“I look fucking hot.” Jeonghan whispered and the five of them were laughing at the comment, admiring the new haircut again, “I love it, Jesus, I love it so m-” He began rambling, but a phone call was interrupting him. He blinked from his daze and pulled it from his pocket to answer. There was silence for sometime before Jeonghan’s face broke and everyone waited expectantly, “He can come home. Seungcheol-ah, he’s coming home.”

Soonyoung scrambled out the car, Wonwoo on his toes as they rushed into the ward waiting room, a bag slung over his shoulder. The nurse in charge was quick to lead them to Seungcheol’s room, laughing at their excitement and giving them time to help him change.  
“Jeonghan’s not here?” Seungcheol spoke first, looking up as they both entered, trying not to look disappointed.   
“Sorry, he fell asleep and we wanted to surprise him.” Wonwoo lied, rushing to untie Seungcheol’s gown.  
“Hey, hey, I can do it on my own-” Seungcheol began to protest, but Soonyoung was already ripping the gown down his body and pulling his arms into a button down shirt, “Why so formal? What’s going on?” He eyed the fabric, suddenly realising that this shirt wasn’t even his. Maybe Seokmin’s?   
“No time to explain.” Soonyoung rushed, pulling the gown off and pulling his boxers up his legs without even thinking more of it than Seungcheol was making it to be, “Don’t be a prude, Seungcheol.” He added as he squirmed away, hiding his crotch beneath his hands and grabbing for the sheets.  
“Ah, Soonyoung someone’s ringing me. Back left pocket.” Wonwoo muttered hurriedly and Seungcheol was frowning, watching in fascination as Wonwoo continued buttoning his shirt and Soonyoung reached for his phone, answering it quickly. Wonwoo was onto his ripped jeans by the time Soonyoung had hung up, subdued grunts being the majority of the conversation.   
“Stand up, come on, we have to get moving.” Soonyoung said impatiently as he pocketed Wonwoo’s phone, pulling Seungcheol up and helping tuck his shirt in, “Put this on as well.” He was thrusting a blazer in his hands now, it was a usual black tux blazer, but the lapels were black silk and he never recalled seeing it before. He wondered how it fit so well as he shrugged it on.  
“Right let’s go.” Wonwoo was rushing, stuffing any of Seungcheol’s possessions into the bag and shouldering it quickly.  
“Hey! Wait, where are my shoes?” Seungcheol called, as Soonyoung began dragging him to the door of his room. Wonwoo froze,  
“Tell me you picked up shoes for him.” He closed his eyes for a moment and he knew Soonyoung had neither brought shoes.  
“Do you want me to lie to you?” Soonyoung replied and Seungcheol was groaning between them.  
“No time, I’ll have to carry you.” Wonwoo finally decided, bending in front of him as he beckoned for Seungcheol to get on his back. Soonyoung nodded, taking the bag from him and running ahead to the reception, signing Seungcheol’s leave forms and thanking the doctors and nurses.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, this is the smuttiest chapter of this entire fic, so please read at your own discretion and, once again, I WILL NOT BE TAKING YOUR KIDS TO CHURCH AFTER THIS. I apologise, I'm horribly sexually frustrated...

The drive to Seungcheol’s apartment was longer than expected and it was clear that Seungcheol aws getting impatient,  
“Will you tell me what’s going on?” He asked, brushing his hair back from his face and realising how greasy it actually was. He grimaced.   
“You’ll have to wait and see.” Wonwoo shot back and Soonyoung was nodding along, “Seokmin was also supposed to come and collect you, but he fell asleep on the couch after… work.” Wonwoo cringed at the pause he’d let on. It wasn’t a believable lie anyway, Seungcheol knew he didn’t work on weekends and why did it need to specifically be the couch he fell asleep on? Seungcheol hummed, immediately spotting the lie, but not letting on. Soonyoung eyed him in the rearview mirror as they pulled up to his apartment.   
He was bundled into the lift before he could even take the time to appreciate his apartment again, the doors clicking open and he was in front of his apartment door.  
“Listen, Cheol, we’d really love to stay and chat, but I’m afraid we have to go.” Soonyoung said with a snicker and suddenly Seungcheol had figured it out. Standing in the corridor, barefoot, he knew that Jeonghan would be behind the door. He nodded, thanking them and letting himself into the apartment as the elevator doors shut.  
The first thing he noticed when he got in was the smell of something slow cooking in the kitchen. He padded through the hallway, recalling the very place he’d been shot and shaking his head to rid himself of the thought.   
“Jeonghan?” He finally called and his face fell as he turned the corner. There was a figure in his kitchen, but it wasn’t Jeonghan. He tried not to sigh his disappointment, but thinking about it now, he didn’t recognise this figure.  
“You’re back already? Shit, they were q-” The man spoke and Seungcheol frowned. That was Jeonghan’s voice and Jeonghan’s style and- This was Jeonghan.  
“J-Jeonghan!” Seungcheol squeaked, throwing himself towards him and wrapping his arms around his neck in excitement, “Y-you’re hair, it’s- you look gorgeous.” He mumbled, leaning back and cradling his face in both hands, staring at him in awe.   
“I can’t believe you’re back. I missed having you to myself.” Jeonghan muttered, smiling wide and taking his hands into his own, merely staring at him for a moment.  
“You’re cooking?” Seungcheol questioned, looking over his shoulder to observe the state of his kitchen. Jeonghan nodded and as much as Seungcheol should have just be grateful to see him, he wanted so badly to pull him in by the waist and fuck him against the nearest surface.  
“Yeah, I wanted to make your favourite, but it looks like dinner can wait for now.” Jeonghan replied, eyeing him and reading his expression perfectly. He’d planned dinner first then a long night of fucking against most surfaces in the house, but Seungcheol seemed too distracted to get through starters without jumping Jeonghan’s bones.  
“N-no, I mean how long until it’s ready?” Seungcheol asked, trying to fix his expression, but his eyes kept lingering on Jeonghan’s exposed now. How nice it was that Jeonghan’s neck was now always exposed, no long hair to cover his hickey’s.  
“Do you want to fuck me or not?” Jeonghan challenged and Seungcheol was on him now, lips slick and pressing firmly against his, bruising and desperate and more dizzying than Jeonghan could ever recall. There was too much teeth and Seungcheol’s hands were trailing his body, sliding down his chest and under his shirt, making Jeonghan moan. And they were back in sync, tearing buttons from shirts and ripping them off, Jeonghan’s thighs being guided up onto the islands kitchen counter and Seungcheol was already on his jeans, unzipping and tearing them off in such a hurry that Jeonghan had to grip onto the table to stop from falling off the edge. He was back to his lips in a moment, biting and kissing and moving his hands down the front of Jeonghan’s boxers, already on his cock and making him whine in desperation.  
“Fuck, I hope you remembered to leave lube in here so I don’t have to go-” Seungcheol began saying, but Jeonghan was shaking his head.  
“Two things to start with there,” He let out a shaky breath when Seungcheol started on his neck, sucking and pulling the skin between his teeth in quick pinches, trailing down to his chest, “Lube is in my back pocket of my jeans a- and- ah, f-fuck- I- I already prepared myself.” Jeonghan choked out, cutting off when Seungcheol ran his thumb over the head of his cock. He looked up at Seungcheol as if to say ‘I hope you don’t mind that I prepared myself’ and Seungcheol honestly didn’t know what to say. He tore Jeonghan’s boxers off, then made work on his jeans and boxers, pushing the shirt and jacket off the rest of way as he reached for the bottle of lube in Jeonghan’s back pocket. He pulled himself up onto the countertop and leant over Jeonghan, watching as his eyes trailed up his torso, pausing on his tattoos, then his nipple piercings and finally his bullet wound scar.  
“Don’t think this is all the fun we’re having this evening, baby.” Seungcheol growled out and Jeonghan smiled mischievously. He was betting on it. Jeonghan leant up to suck on to Jeonghan’s nipple, pulling a barbell between his teeth and groaning at the reaction he got from Seungcheol, hips rutting down into him and strangled moans. It was a while before Seungcheol found it in himself to push Jeonghan back down, and slick his cock with lube, smirking as Jeonghan watched on in awe.  
“Oh God, hurry up, please.” Jeonghan whined, reaching for Seungcheol’s hands, his arms, his skin, anything he could get his hands on. Seungcheol moved faster now, moving down so his face was nestled in Jeonghan’s neck as he slowly pushed into Jeonghan’s prepped hole. He groaned out, watching as Jeonghan whined beneath him, his head falling back against the counter with a thud and his hands finding the underside of his thighs to pull his knees to his chest. Seungcheol watched him closely, watched him babble incoherent sentences and turn his face to the side. He was going to have so much fun with him.   
“Look at me, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol said sternly and Jeonghan loved that, he loved it so much. He retaliated for a moment, but Seungcheol was leaning up pausing his hips, still deep inside him as he gripped his jaw between his fingers, “Jeonghan, what did I just say to you?” He said firmly and Jeonghan was loving this, begging for more with those sweet eyes of his as he finally looked up at Seungcheol.   
“I’m sorry, Cheol-ah, I couldn’t hel- ah-ah, shit, mmh!” Jeonghan cut off as Seungcheol pulled his hips back, quickly snapping them back into him again and repeating. Jeonghan couldn’t catch his breath, whining higher from his loss of control. Seungcheol was ruthless now, trailing his nails down his body and snapping his hips into him at irregular intervals, hitting Jeonghan’s prostate everytime. It was one thing to get Jeonghan moaning, but he loved the breaks in his voice as he whined, the plain desperation in his body rolls and the sound he made whenever Seungcheol hit his prostate a few too many times in a row. It was overwhelming and Jeonghan momentarily thought he was going to start whimpering, sobbing at the stimulation and they’d only really just started.   
“This is nothing yet, Jeonghan, you’ll get your punishment later.” Seungcheol spoke, deep in the back of his throat as he stared down at him darkly, “Turn over.” He said shortly, pulling out of him and leaving Jeonghan panting and shocked for a moment before he gathered his thoughts and turned on to his front, pulling himself up on shaky arms and weak thighs. Seungcheol watched him affectionately, finally moving back between his thighs, spreading his knees this time, and pushing back in. Jeonghan’s body was quick to react and he moaned out, head dropping to his forearms as he pressed back, meeting Seungcheol’s thrusts.  
“F-fuck, feels s-so good, ah-ahh!” Jeonghan tried to speak again, but Seungcheol would speed up his thrusts the minute he opened his mouth. He’d never expected Seungcheol to be so desperate, deprived and wanting and Jeonghan knew it wasn’t just to get off. Afterall, Jeonghan could admit to liking fast and hard and a little pain over slow and lazy. There just had to be enough love in it to prove he was getting more than just sex. Seungcheol leant down to nuzzle his ear, lapping at the side of his neck and biting down on his shoulder as he got closer to his high.   
“F-fuck,” Seungcheol muttered, realising he’d forgotten a condom in his haste. He made to pull out, holding Jeonghan’s hips in place, only to be stopped by a hand on his wrist. Jeonghan was looking over his shoulder, his eyes wide and watering and a little bloodshot,  
“Cum inside me,” He said brokenly and Seungcheol was shaking his head, trying to pull away again, but Jeonghan groaned out, digging his nails into Seungcheol’s wrist.  
“Jeonghan, we shouldn’t risk i-” Seungcheol’s logical part of his brain was speaking now, but his hips had stopped their pull away from Jeonghan and were stilled within him.  
“Please, I mean it.” Jeonghan whined, higher now and more desperate than before. Seungcheol was too far gone to argue any longer. He continued his thrusts, harsher now, as he pinned Jeonghan’s hands to the countertop, stopping him from reaching between his legs to get off. Seungcheol was ruthless and he had a fair few ideas that might prove that ruthlessness. A few thrusts more and Seungcheol found himself coming inside Jeonghan, barely holding himself up enough to ride through his orgasm. Jeonghan was moaning beneath him, seemingly wanting to cum, wanting Seungcheol to touch him, wanting to touch himself, but Seungcheol wouldn’t fall for this. He slowly pulled out, moments after he’d recovered, watching as a mix of cum and lube dripped from Jeonghan, oh-so deliciously. He leant down and lapped at it, tasting himself, a smirk on his lips as he watched Jeonghan jolt forward at the feeling of his tongue on him.  
“C-Cheol-ah, I want to cum, please let me cum.” Jeonghan whined, his head falling to his forearms as he groaned out again, tensing up and pushing his ass back against Seungcheol. He gripped his hips, pushing his mouth off of his skin and turning Jeonghan over, looking up at him from the place between his legs.  
“You want to cum?” Seungcheol reiterated and Jeonghan nodded vigorously, his short hair bouncing against his forehead, “When you’ve been good.” He said shortly and Jeonghan looked at him in dismay, his hand finding its way to his cock in an attempt at getting himself off without Seungcheol noticing. His efforts were appreciated, but clearly failed, as Seungcheol snapped his gaze back up to him, eyes dark as he gripped his hands beside his head.  
“Please.” Jeonghan begged, giving his best puppy-dog eyes, but Seungcheol was smirking darkly, shaking his head and sliding his lips up over Jeonghan’s chest, barely there.  
“What did I say?” Seungcheol said firmly, making Jeonghan retract, “The more you try, the longer it’ll be, baby. Do you want to play?” He tested and Jeonghan was nodding, shuffling his hips any which way.  
“Y-yes, I want to play.” He said shortly and Seungcheol leant back, releasing his hands and sliding off the countertop.  
“Good boy, well, I have a surprise prepared for you then.” Seungcheol said, helping Jeonghan to the ground, only to slip two fingers into his ass as he stood, making him stiffen up, “Come with me.” He spoke softer now and Jeonghan was suddenly very aware that the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city was very much overlooking the city.   
“Shit,” He murmured, eyeing the window and trying to step away from it. Seungcheol smirked, guiding him away and down the hallway with his fingers still in his ass, moving every-so-often and making Jeonghan squeak in surprise, “Oh God.” Seungcheol leant over to him, pressing soft kisses to his neck as his tone of voice shifted,  
“Tell me if you want to stop, okay? I won’t be upset, I just want to try-” Seungcheol began, but Jeonghan was smiling, pausing just outside their bedroom door and clenching around Seungcheol’s fingers.  
“Cheol-ah, I love this. I love it because it’s with you and I trust you. I love you.” Jeonghan spoke, smiling softly as Seungcheol looked up from his neck. Jeonghan took the advantage to ravage his neck now,  
“I love you more.” Seungcheol said quietly and Jeonghan believed him, “So, about that surprise…” He continued, Jeonghan pulling away with a squeak as Seungcheol curled his fingers, teasingly.   
“Yes, fuck, yes.” Jeonghan recovered, entering their bedroom together and falling onto the bed, freshly made and smelling like clean linen. Seungcheol couldn’t help but think that it wouldn’t be like that for long.  
“Lie down and don’t touch yourself,” Seungcheol spoke, turning away to open a drawer from his bedside table. It wasn’t long before he was placing a box in front of Jeonghan, a company name in plush pink, written in cursive across the matte white, “You can open it.” He said, handing it to Jeonghan and placing the lube on the bed where he sat. Jeonghan was curious, he had guessed a vague idea, but he was curious as to what sort of toy Seungcheol would purchase for him. Did he see him as a major submissive or a brat? Maybe he was into something Jeonghan wasn’t and this was the deciding factor. He thought it over, slipping his fingers under the magnetic strip and opening the box. No. This was something Jeonghan was definitely in to.  
“No way,” Jeonghan wondered aloud, eyeing the contents inside and running his fingers over the fabric cushioning, “H-how did you-?” Jeonghan began, but Seungcheol was laughing, low in his throat as he cut Jeonghan off.  
“Listen, you can’t search stuff on my laptop then not clear my browser and expect me to still not know. While I was in hospital, I was planning on getting you something PG, but these ads kept popping up and I realised that someone else must have been searching for this.” Seungcheol explained, Jeonghan looking embarrassed now, “And how could I say no to my baby.” Jeonghan huffed out a laugh, looking down at the box in his lap again. He’d got the exact thing he’d wanted and Jeonghan thought he might cry in glee. In the time Jeonghan had come out, he’d had a fair few toys: vibrators, dildos, even a cockring at one point, but none of them good enough quality to be gauged ‘amazing’. The day he’d stumbled across the items was one of the days he’d spent at Seungcheol’s place, eating, sleeping, masturbating and clearly searching sextoys. He hadn’t really thought much of it, he wasn’t shy about these sort of things, so there was no problem if Seungcheol came across it, not that he would. Jeonghan had gone through almost every brand, label and name before he came across the set now in front of him. It contained 5 items and was an extortionate price that he didn’t really like to think about for something that was merely going to make you cum. And cum again. And again. So maybe it was a good price. The main reason the set had caught his eye was due to the fact that it was all in pink, translucent pink, which seemed to make it even more prettier. The femininity in it was something simple, but effective, afterall, he wasn’t one to put on lingerie or stockings, he still liked to be seen as a man. He just liked pretty things. Besides, gender was fake and the government created it as self-sabotage.   
Jeonghan took the first toy into his hands, weightier than he’d thought, but pretty in size and texture. He wasn’t all that in to buttplugs, but this one was too pretty to not be in to. He turned it over in the light, a curved heart shape at the base and he ran his fingers up the length of it. Something in him shifted. Seungcheol saw it too.  
The second item was a little more adventurous. A pair of vibrating eggs, both the same pink colour, but not translucent like the buttplug. This was one toy that he’d actually liked using in the past, but once he moved in with Seungkwan and Hansol, they were nowhere to be found. He still had nightmares of his foster mother finding them in his bedroom, but in reality he was fairly sure he’d lost an entire box of things and they must’ve just been caught up in the lot. He eyed them carefully, not unpacking them, but running his fingers over the form. Seungcheol momentarily wondered what it felt like to have something like that break you down from the inside. He wondered if he’d sound different from when he topped. Jeonghan was onto the next item now, eyes wide as he observed the actual size of the beads. Yes, they were anal beads, the one thing Jeonghan was of yet to try. He’d been curious, but never enough to actually buy his own and definitely never curious enough to ask someone to buy them for him. He was careful with placing them back in the box before he pulled the cockring from the box next, eyes wide as he ran his fingers over the perimeter, unclasping the adjustment and doing it up again.  
“And last, but not least, the very reason I was so drawn to this set.” Jeonghan said softly, his eyes sparkling as he placed the anal beads beside him and picked up the vibrator. It was more of a dildo, in fact, all matching colours and soft edges, with a switch at the very base and a note to link both the vibrating eggs and vibrator to control from a phone. It was prettier than Jeonghan had thought, and bigger, a fair bit bigger. Seungcheol observed him,  
“You like it?” He asked innocently, moving the packaging off the bed and pinning him down beneath him, the vibe still in his grip. Jeonghan nodded shyly, placing it beside his head,  
“So, are you going to take them for a test-run or what?” Jeonghan pressed, eyes flashing down to his still-hard cock and back up to Seungcheol.  
“Sure, now, what shall we start with?” He spoke, fingers hovering over the three toys still in the box, “How about these ones?” He added, pulling the vibrating eggs from the box and unwrapping the wire around the cables. Jeonghan nodded in excitement, shuffling up the bed and laying back. Seungcheol watched in amusement, relubing his fingers and crawling up over him. Jeonghan was quick in noticing Seungcheol already getting hard again and he bit his lip in an attempt at holding back a smile. With Seungcheol, near recently fucking him into the countertop, he was still loose and plunging three fingers into him did not go as a struggle, but Jeonghan still managed to cry out around the intrusion of the first vibrating egg. Seungcheol smirked; if he sounded like this without them turned on how would he sound with them? He put the thought to test, turning the first one on to a low setting.  
“Ah, shit-” He mumbled, kicking his hips up as if trying to get more friction, only to be met with air, “The-the other one, p-lease?” Jeonghan requested, looking up with the same innocent eyes from before, just this time they held a little more desperation, a plea. Seungcheol smirked, pausing a moment to lean up and wrap his lips around Jeonghan’s left nipple, sucking and flicking his tongue over the abused flesh before moving across his chest, saliva dragging over his abdomen as he did the same with the other, hand back between Jeonghan’s hips to press the second toy into him.  
“Hm, I love when you’re like this.” Seungcheol commented against his skin, smirking at the sound of Jeonghan whining low in his throat, “So pliant and needy. You want me to fuck you? You want me to ruin you until you can’t walk tomorrow, hm? You want every touch to be pleasure, every strike to be pain, don’t you, Jeonghannie?” Seungcheol pulled back, staring down at him, knuckles hovering over his cheekbone, a feather-light touch.  
“Yes- yes, please, Cheol-ah!” Jeonghan whimpered, leaning into the touch and gritting his teeth as Seungcheol pressed his finger in after the toys, pushing them further inside him before he gave him the satisfaction of having both of them vibrating within him. Seungcheol wanted a reaction, though, he wanted to leave him high and dry, desperate and wanting. He pulled back completely, stepping away from the bed and sliding a silk tie from his suit hanger on the back of the closet door.   
“Tell me your safeword, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol said firmly, stepping back towards the bed and standing at the headboard, the silk slipping through his grip into the other hand.  
“W-what?” Jeonghan huffed, eyes closing too slowly as he blinked up at Seungcheol’s towering form.  
“Your safeword. What is it, Jeonghan?” Seungcheol asked again, eyes soft, but voice still the same firmness as before. Jeonghan’s head cleared and he processed the words,  
“Quartz- hhng- my safeword is Quartz.” Jeonghan whined, eyes flicking above him as Seungcheol gathered his wrists in one hand above his head. Jeonghan knew what was coming, he knew he wouldn’t be allowed to touch and that was as thrilling and exhilarating as it was terrifying. Not terrifying in a bad sense, more terrifying in the fact that this was something he’d experienced multiple times and it usually ended painfully, unsatisfactory and downright awful, but he trusted Seungcheol and-  
“Do you trust me?” Seungcheol asked quietly, watching Jeonghan carefully as he nodded his head frantically, because he did, he really did trust him. “Good. And what happens when you don’t want to go on with what we’re doing?” Seungcheol checked again and Jeonghan’s head was clear enough to understand that question the first time around.  
“I-I can use my safeword.” Jeonghan replied, almost without stuttering, but not quite. Seungcheol smiled, his façade momentarily gone, but Jeonghan liked it both ways. In reality, he thought it was a bit much to be reminded of safeword’s when they were merely using toys- this was practically innocent for him. He’d not even been allowed to use a safeword in the past, it had never even been up for discussion, he was just the ‘perfect thing to fuck’, no questions, no objections. But now he had Seungcheol, a man who wanted to prove his love for him, wanted to treat him carefully and right and like something precious and Jeonghan had never had that. He’d never had the option to be able to present his own needs or ask for a break.  
“Good boy. Remember that, okay? You’ll use it if you need to, right?” Seungcheol checked again, pulling the silk around and between his wrists, one on top of the other, before knotting them to the centre of the headboard. Jeonghan nodded fervently, eyes glazing over as Seungcheol reached a hand down the bed to twist the vibrations up on one of the toys.   
“Y-yes, I’ll use them if I need to, I promise.” Jeonghan continued, knowing Seungcheol would want a spoken affirmation as he tried to meet his eyes without squirming too much. Seungcheol nodded once as he watched him, twining a hand into his hair to push it back from his face, before he spoke again,  
“Now, I have a question,” Seungcheol said smoothly, walking back to the foot of the bed, naked and hard and too much of a sight for Jeonghan to look at for an extended period of time, “How well do you know your body, Hannie?” Seungcheol asked softly, arms crossing over his chest as he raked his eyes over Jeonghan’s writhing body, changing the dials of the vibrations every few moments before stepping back to inspect him.  
“Well e-enough.” Jeonghan stuttered out, but Seungcheol was leaning forward on the edge of the bed, smacking a hand to his thigh and tearing a whine from his chest.  
“Tell me, Jeonghan, don’t be smart with me.” Seungcheol growled, leaning back again, dragging his hand over the red mark he’d left on his upper thigh. Jeonghan was quiet for a moment, eyes shut as he tried to gather his thoughts enough to form a coherent sentence again.  
“I- I’ve had toys in the past. I know how to make myself cum like-like I’ve earned it.” Jeonghan managed, hands straining in the restraints now, begging for some sort of lee-way as he stared down between his thighs, almost hoping his gaze would be enough of a feeling to entertain his aching cock. Seungcheol could’ve cum right then and there, untouched, unfocused, all from those few words and the look in Jeonghan’s eyes.  
“Like you’ve earned it, huh? And what makes you earn that privilege?” Seungcheol tried again, rounding the bed as he stared Jeonghan up and down from a new angle, noticing the way his toes curled, thighs shaking whenever he tried to buck up into something.  
“B-being good-?” Jeonghan spoke, closer to a question than he would’ve liked it to be phrased, but Seungcheol was chuckling darkly, turning back and walking to the foot of his bed again.  
“Being good? I understand.” He paused, one hand leaning under his chin, propped up by his arm across his chest, “What about doing it just for the fun of it?” He asked thoughtfully, Jeonghan practically feeling his gaze now. The vibrations were enough, but not quite enough to get him off completely untouched. They were teasing and Seungcheol wasn’t giving into his pleas, his whines and moans going unnoticed.   
“J-just for the fun of it?” Jeonghan asked, grinding his hips into the mattress and moaning deep in the back of his throat.   
“That’s right. Not letting you cum just for the fun of it. What do you think about that, Jeonghan?” Seungcheol pressed on and really, he knew it was a stupid question. It was stupid to ask someone how they’d feel, being riled up all night only to be given no permission to cum. There was just something about the look on Jeonghan’s face when he knew he had to understand Seungcheol’s questions and answer them.   
“I- I think that- your plea-ngh- pleasure comes before m-mine.” Jeonghan said smoothly, eyes darker than his words, but something about the way he’d spoken made it seem like a challenge in a way. Seungcheol stepped forward, resting his hands on the bed again, Jeonghan squirming under his eyes, his hips kicking up instinctively.  
“Hm, well, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but I suppose we’ll have to see what comes of it.” Seungcheol said smoothly, leaning back to the box and selecting the cockring with care. Jeonghan’s breath stuttered in his chest, his voice falling quiet as he watched Seungcheol approach him like a rabid animal, carefully, slowly, animalistic.   
“Wh-what is the answer, Seung- ahh?” Jeonghan began, voice cutting off as Seungcheol began sliding the ring down his length, positioning it at the base of his cock, just above his balls and adjusting it to be tight enough to prolong his orgasm. Jeonghan was practically crying now, squirming in desperation at the mere sensation of his cock being in contact with anything more than the empty space he’d been bucking into.   
“For the thrill, for the pleasure and then the desperation. The unsatisfactory feeling, like when I do this,” Seungcheol, stroked Jeonghan’s cock in a slow, measured rhythm, riling him up to the point of sobbing and then pulling his hand away, brushing his slit of precum and stepping back away, “and then leave you. You feel that? The burning feeling in your abdomen?” Jeonghan’s face was streaked with tears and he wanted to sob again, but Seungcheol’s hand was hovering over his cock, like hunter and prey, Jeonghan wasn’t taking chances.  
“I- I feel it.” Jeonghan sighed quietly, expecting Seungcheol to reward him with that, press his thumb into his slit, or run his fist down his length, but there was nothing. He squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation, but nothing came, Jeonghan got nothing but the vibrations, lower now as they pressed deeper inside him whenever he clenched too hard. There was silence and Jeonghan couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes just yet, his skin hot and sticking to the sheets. A bead of sweat trickled down his spine.  
“Have you ever been so riled up that you have no control over your body? Your skin crawling at the simplest of touches, your hips grinding into any solid object closest to you?” Seungcheol paused, trailing his fingers over Jeonghan’s abdomen, fingers barely there and making Jeonghan shiver frigidly, “I bet you have, sitting here whilst I was away, rutting into the sheets. Begging for me, begging to be touched whilst you restrained from plunging two fingers straight inside yourself. I can just imagine you, trailing your hands over your body, working yourself up until you were crying out, avoiding every sensitive part of your body that was just so desperate to be touched. You wanted nothing more than to wrap your fingers around your cock, stroke yourself until you were spent, on your knees as you had your fingers up your ass. Am I wrong, baby?” Seungcheol asked with a smirk, sitting back between Jeonghan’s thighs as he let his nails catch on Jeonghan’s nipples, holding his gaze whenever he managed to open his eyes long enough. It was embarrassing how much Seungcheol’s little spiel had gotten to Jeonghan, his skin was burning hot and his cock was stark, hard and dark against his pale skin. What was a great deal more embarrassing was the fact that Seungcheol had got a great of his antics right. Jeonghan had found himself asking Hansol to drop him to Seungcheol’s apartment when he was away in hospital a few too many times late in the evenings when he couldn’t help think of Seungcheol and his hands and body and cock pressing him into the mattress. The accuracy of it all had Jeonghan wondering if he’d, in fact, been caught and tattled on, but how was anyone to have known that was what he was doing in Seungcheol’s apartment late on Wednesday evenings?  
“You’re not wrong.” Jeonghan said smoothly, surprising himself until Seungcheol harshly pressed two fingers inside him, pushing the toys further inside him and twisting them both to full. Jeonghan was going to lose it this time, hips bucking and voice cracking around Seungcheol’s moans, “I- ahh!- Please! Cheol-ah! L-let- please let me cum!” Jeonghan was sobbing again, tears blurring his view of Seungcheol between his thighs, on his knees with two fingers deep inside him. He could feel everything, his senses were zoned in on the feeling of every feature that was going on to stimulate him, vibrations and thrusts and toe-curling anticipation that seemed to be crawling down his spine.  
“Not yet,” Seungcheol said plainly, clicking his tongue as he felt Jeonghan clench around his fingers, he was going to cum, “A little longer.” Seungcheol lied, it was going to be a fair bit longer if Jeonghan’s reactions were anything to go by. He pulled his fingers out, tugging on a cable to pull the vibrations away from his prostate, and Jeonghan was whining in frustration, thrashing from side-to-side as hs coughed out a sob.  
“Please! Please, Cheol, please, please!” Jeonghan begged pathetically and Seungcheol momentarily realised that he’d brought Jeonghan to that point in which he didn’t know what to do with his body. He would quite literally do anything for Seungcheol to get him off that last bit and that was scarily beautiful.   
“I told you to wait, Jeonghan,” Seungcheol said firmly, landing another smack to his thigh and watching in delight as Jeonghan cried out in pleasure, whining at the sharp strike to his sensitive skin, “I thought you were going to be good for me, but it looks as if you won’t be coming at all if you keep this up.” Seungcheol growled cruelly and Jeonghan was shaking his head, pursing his lips and pressing his hips back into the mattress.  
“N-no, I’m good- I’ll be good, I promise.” Jeonghan shivered, willing himself to be quiet, to be good, to stay still. Seungcheol smiled deviously, reaching for the lube again and another item from the box- the anal beads. Jeonghan was pleased that they weren’t too big, the biggest maybe the same diameter as Seungcheol’s cock and that suited Jeonghan just perfectly for now.   
“Ready for number three?” Seungcheol said smugly, leaving the vibrators on, but switching them to a lower thrum. Jeonghan nodded frantically, not trusting his voice as he pushed his legs wider to accommodate Seungcheol. He squeezed his eyes shut, the cap of the lube bottle being the only indicator that Seungcheol was going to ruin him any minute. It was a few silent moments later before Jeonghan pressed that of the smaller beads inside him, breaching his entrance and pausing to gauge his expression.  
“M-more, please, Cheol-ah.” He finally pleaded, but Seungcheol was staying still, fingers poised before he fluidly pressed the beads into him to the base until Jeonghan was clenching pathetically, the vibrations pressing directly into his prostate now, too far inside him to truly comprehend. Seungcheol tutted when Jeonghan began rolling his hips again, arching his back off the mattress and trying to get some friction from Seungcheol on his cock.  
“Stay still, Hannie.” Seungcheol said firmly, pressing a hand into his hip and pushing him back down to the bed, “Can you feel it, baby?” Seungcheol asked after a moment of Jeonghan trying to steady his breath and failing. He knew that Jeonghan was boneless, now, he knew that Jeonghan was at the point of complete and utter desperation and he knew that he wasn’t going to last much longer.   
“Mhh! Y-yes, fuck, yes- oh god-” Jeonghan whined, his cock straining against his hip-bone, hands scrambling against Seungcheol’s silk suit tie as he begged himself to stay still, prayed that he would please Seungcheol with his obedience. And it was barely a few minutes of Seungcheol watching and pressing the beads further into him until he was whining those same words from earlier. Seungcheol could already tell he was going to cum from just the look on his face, his body tensing up and Seungcheol had let him believe he was going to allowed to for longer than he had before, but he was turning the vibrations off completely now. He watched as Jeonghan’s body deflated, his eyes filling again as he realised what was happening.  
“N-no! Cheo-cheol-ah! I was s-so good, please, please-” Jeonghan broke off into another moan as Seungcheol removed the beads, ignoring his pleads, “I’m begging you, Cheollie, please, please let me cum! I’ll-I’ll do anythi-fuck!” Jeonghan was begging now, only stopping when Seungcheol managed to pull the eggs from inside him, both cables falling in a puddle of lube on the sheets beneath him. He was empty now and so, so desperate.  
“Anything, hm? What a good boy, begging so well for me.” Seungcheol smiled darkly, his fingers sliding up his chest and brushing Jeonghan’s lips before sliding two fingers into his mouth, watching him groan around them.  
“Fuck- Cheol- I’ll do anything, please j-just let me cum!” Jeonghan was begging again, he had a feeling that if he tried it enough, Seungcheol might take pity on him and just simply fuck him, take off his cockring and fuck him until he came all over himself. It was wishful thinking, but Jeonghan was way past desperate by now.  
“You will cum, when I say you can cum, Hannie.” Seungcheol was using a reprimanding tone that Jeonghan was almost certain made him harder. Jeonghan loved it. His eyes were so heavy that he almost missed Seungcheol reaching back into the box and picking out the one toy Jeonghan had wanted the most.   
“F-fuck, a-already?” Jeonghan breathed, trying to focus his eyes on the toy in Seungcheol’s hands. It seemed bigger than what he’d remembered when he’d inspected it earlier, but he imagined it was down to being a little more lucid back then.   
“You don’t want it?” Seungcheol teased, pausing as he came back to sit between Jeonghan’s thighs. He was quick to protest, shaking his head and bucking his hips in protest.   
“N-no, that’s not what I meant- I just-” Jeonghan whined, but Seungcheol was giggling darkly, shaking his head and pressing his saliva covered fingers back into Jeonghan. He didn’t need to, he was already well stretched, but there was always something so satisfactory in hearing how Jeonghan reacted to Seungcheol’s fingers on him, beneath him, within him. A few breathy moans and moments passed before Seungcheol gave in and slicked up the last toy he’d use that night.   
“Ready, baby?” Seungcheol asked, voice almost teasing as he pressed the silicone to his skin, almost breaching him but not pressing hard enough just yet.   
“Yes- yes, please, I’m ready.” Jeonghan choked out, tears filling his pretty eyes all over again, “Please, Cheol-ah, please make me cum.” And Seungcheol was pushing the dildo in deep, letting it slide to rest beneath his prostate before twisting pressing the dial to click on the vibrations.   
“Be good and I just might let you.” Seungcheol said wickedly, sliding the toggle up until Jeonghan was arching off the mattress, rocking his hips into thin air and crying out loud enough for the floor below to hear him. He wanted to tell him to quiet down, to try and quieten his moans, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it when Jeonghan sounded so beautiful. Seungcheol smiled to himself when he reminded himself that Jeonghan was a vocal coach, it fitted him.   
“Fuck! F-feels so good! Ahhh-” Jeonghan was verging on screaming at this point, his face streaming with tears and contorted so beautiful that Seungcheol would have given him anything in that moment. With one hand, he held the toy inside him, the other hand searching through his drawer to find his second phone, thanking his lucky stars that Wonwoo had done what he’d asked and downloaded the app to link the vibrations up. It was a moment before he figured out how to use it and was happy to move away from Jeonghan, coming to stand beside his head, and offer his cock up to his open mouth.   
“Three taps with your foot if you need to stop.” Seungcheol said shortly, momentarily turning the vibrations down so Jeonghan could pay attention to his guidance. He nodded, opening his mouth wider and turning his head to let Seungcheol slide his cock down his throat and Jeonghan swore he’d never felt euphoria, but this was pretty damn close. It was a moment before Seungcheol deemed it okay to raise the vibrations on his prostate again, letting Jeonghan get used to the position he was in with Seungcheol’s cock down his throat, but then his hips were moving and Jeonghan was gagging once before recovering immediately. Seungcheol was well aware of Jeonghan’s born talent of giving head and he honestly knew that he’d never fully get over it. His hips were steadily pounding into Jeonghan’s right mouth, now, eyes watering as he stared up at him, groans sending Seungcheol mad as the vibrations travelled through him. He flicked his eyes down to his phone, tapping the vibrator to its peak and watching Jeonghan thrash about as he realised how close Jeonghan really was. Seungcheol knew he’d had enough, he knew he couldn’t take any more edging and Seungcheol’s original plan of easing their night into overstimulation was out of the window. He wasn’t willing to give Jeonghan a forced orgasm when he was already this impatient, this exhausted and desperate and fucked out. Seungcheol forced his hips forward, faster than before and watched carefully for any sign of those three taps on the mattress but nothing came, Jeonghan was loving this too much to make him stop. Jeonghan began counting in his head, one, two, three, four, fi- thrusts it took for Seungcheol to cum once he’d put Jeonghan’s vibrations to their peak. Jeonghan could’ve laughed if his mouth wasn’t preoccupied with a thick load of cum and Seungcheol’s throbbing cock. Seungcheol was groaning, voice harsh and broken in the back of his throat and Jeonghan was pulling back, swallowing his mouthful before staring up at Seungcheol with the most pleasing eyes he could manage.   
“P-please-” Jeonghan barely whispered, eyes streaming and Seungcheol was smiling softly, leaning down to kiss Jeonghan fervently, a hand reaching up to his wrists as he unknotted the silk, freeing his arms and letting them collapse weakly beside him. They’d lost majority of their feeling but he was determined to get his arms around Seungcheol’s neck, to pull him in closer and kiss him harder. Seungcheol was teaching between his legs, gripping Jeonghan’s cock and unfastening the covering, blindly groping at him before jerking him off, revelling in the way Jeonghan couldn’t focus on their kiss for more than 20 seconds before throwing his head back and sobbing, whining high in the back of his throat and letting Seungcheol guide him through his orgasm. Jeonghan was openly crying at this point and Seungcheol was kissing his neck, soothing his whimpers with caresses to his cheekbone and waiting for Jeonghan to calm down.   
“Fuck- the-the vibe- tu-turn it off-ngh-” Jeonghan suddenly cried out. Seungcheol, being too caught up in his reverie of documenting Jeonghan’s every sound, had forgotten to turn the vibrator off after working Jeonghan through his orgasm and it was currently running on high, thrumming right against his prostate. Seungcheol had already silently promised ‘no overstimulation tonight’. Seungcheol was cursing, scrambling for his phone and turning the vibrations off before flinging it to his bedside table and collapsing on Jeonghan, kissing his neck and shoulders softly. Jeonghan was still catching his breath when Seungcheol finally pulled away, climbing back between his legs to pull the toy from him, Jeonghan letting out a deep groan at the sensation.   
“Are you alright, baby?” Seungcheol asked softly, placing the toy beside them as he climbed up the bed to cage Jeonghan beneath him. He’d come a lot, his thighs and abdomen thick with it and Seungcheol wondered if he’d ever cum like this before. Jeonghan hummed in the back of his throat,  
“Mh, I’m great, fuck- that was good.” He got out with a shaky chuckle, letting Seungcheol continue his varied kisses from neck to shoulders and letting it travel up to his face and lips.   
“Let’s get you in the bath, darling.” Seungcheol said softly, kissing his lips one last, slow time before sliding off the bed and gathering him in his arms. Jeonghan leant into his touch, pressing his face into his neck and pulling the soft skin into his mouth, sucking and releasing. Seungcheol smiled down at him, running the water almost scalding hot, just like Jeonghan seemed to like it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! This contains Soonyoung and Jihoon and Wonwoo and Jisoo sorting our their shit. Then that's it!

Jihoon’s head was in Soonyoung’s lap. He’d almost forgotten how comfortable that position was when Soonyoung wasn’t around, but he had it now and he was going to stay there until Soonyoung got a dead leg or needed to pee.   
“Did you ever think about us?” Jihoon said vaguely, his hand rested on Soonyoung's thigh beside his face. Soonyoung lolled his head to the side, looking down at Jihoon properly,  
“What do you mean?” He asked, stroking his fingers through Jihoon’s tangled hair. They’d never really acknowledged their breakup and it was nice like that. It was clear that Soonyoung had missed him and somewhere deep down, Jihoon felt the same. Jihoon was better at denying things, fighting things off and never admitting them, but when Soonyoung turned up, back in his life, this time he couldn’t say no.   
“I mean, do you ever think about what would’ve happened if Jeonghan and Seungcheol hadn’t of met? Do you think we would’ve ever got back together if it weren’t for that night?” Jihoon wondered aloud. Soonyoung’s apartment was nicer these days, Jihoon’s clothes would dry on the balcony beside his and it was warm enough to sit on the veranda, huddled up on the tiled floor. They were quiet for a moment as Soonyoung turned the words over in his head.   
“I don’t really like to think about it.” He said shortly and Jihoon half expected him to elaborate but he simply leant backs against the wall and popped a plantain chip in his mouth.   
“Oh,” Jihoon didn’t really know what to say. He was curious but Soonyoung wasn’t letting on, it was almost scaring him. Was Soonyoung having second thoughts about their relationship? “Can I ask another question?” He added, shifting to lie on his back, his head still in Soonyoung’s lap, eyes dreary and blurred as he stared up at him.   
“O-okay,” Soonyoung replied, a little unsure of himself, “Go ahead.” They were silent again and Jihoon stared blankly up at the shifting clouds, his vision fractured by the sway of their sheets in the wind now and then.   
“Do you think we’ll last this time?” He couldn’t look at Soonyoung and Soonyoung understood. So much had gone wrong last time, that was why they broke up, but this time was different. Soonyoung hadn’t thought about this either. He wondered if Jihoon was seeing a psychiatrist or something, where were these questions coming from?   
“I think we’re different from before,” Soonyoung said softly, his voice lilting in the wind. Jihoon wondered if he was lying to make up for not answering the last question, “I think we’ve changed and I want to work things through this time.” He added and Jihoon nodded, a small shift on Soonyoung’s thighs.   
“Hey,” Jihoon said softly, looking up at him now and reaching for his face with his fingertips, “look at me, Young-ah.” He added and Soonyoung was obeying like it was the only thing he could do in this world.   
“I know, I shouldn’t think like before,” Soonyoung explained, eyes darting away again, but Jihoon was pulling himself up to sit cross-legged in front of him, “I just don’t feel like losing you again. Or- or ever, for that matter.” His voice was more awkward than before and if Jihoon hadn’t have been focusing on remembering how to breath, he probably would’ve heard Soonyoung’s heartbeat. Jihoon cradled his face again, one hand on his jaw the other on his thigh,  
“Can I tell you something,” Jihoon whispered as if telling a secret to a little kid. Soonyoung blinked as if urging him to go ahead, “I think I’m going to be the one to say ‘I love you’ first and that really scares me.”

Jeonghan was asleep, curled up under Seungcheol’s duvet until well after midday. Wonwoo had dropped in with Joshua during the morning, but not stayed long and Jeonghan was a little grateful for that. There were simply some things that he didn’t want to tell Joshua and that was okay too, he knew he’d understand.   
Seungcheol was in the kitchen drawing when Jeonghan finally appeared on shaky legs. His sweater hung down to the top of his thighs and Seungcheol suspected that there was nothing under them.  
“Hey, baby, how do you feel?” Seungcheol called, looking up from his work as Jeonghan entered, standing to meet him and pull him into his arms.  
“Tired,” Jeonghan said groggily, rubbing his eyes with his fists and brushing his hair back from his face, “And hungry, very hungry.” Seungcheol led him to the kitchen counter, lifting him to sit on the workspace beside the toaster so he could fix him something to eat.  
“Still tired? You slept a lot, are you sure you’re okay?” Seungcheol asked softly, his eyes darting up from the eggs he was cracking into the pan, looking at him with soft eyes and quickly washing his hands so he could cradle Jeonghan’s face again, check his temperature and kiss him softly.  
“Mh, I’m fine,” Jeonghan smiled, waving his hand away and chasing his lips as Seungcheol attempted to move away, “Denying an orgasm takes a lot out of you. Seriously, I’d never been so tired before, but I’d also never felt so good.” He smirked and Seungcheol was giggling up at him.

Chan paced the hospital waiting room, yes, he was early out of his session, but he was still anxious. What if Mingyu had changed his mind and realised how bad Chan really was, maybe he wasn’t coming, maybe he should just call Seokmin and-  
“Chan! Hey, were you waiting long? Sorry, the car park is really full today.” Mingyu was calling across from the entrance, walking towards him with a soft smile and that pretty, trench coat he’d worn the day Chan had first met him. Navy blue, he’d like to have one like that, but he wasn’t convinced he could pull it off.   
“Oh, Hyung, hello.” He smiled up at him, voice soft as he dragged himself from his thoughts, “N-no I wasn’t waiting long.” He lies and Mingyu smiled, guiding him towards the door, but Chan was stopping him, dragging him to the visitors desk.   
“What is it, Chan?” Mingyu asked, his hand not leaving Chan’s back as he followed him.   
“I- um- do you mind signing this? I just have to prove that I went to my session. N-normally Seokmin-Hyung would do it because he collects me. I- I can get him to call or come down if you don’t want to sign it-” Chan began panicking, the nurse looking up at him softly to try and calm his nerves, but Mingyu was leaning forward and signing the sheet without a second thought.   
“Come on, let’s go and get coffee, Channie.” Mingyu smiled, watching Chan’s face shift from discomfort to shock and then easing into a smile that mirrored Mingyu’s.   
They’d met up plenty of times since the day they met properly, but Mingyu was yet to pick him up from an appointment. They usually got coffee at a local cafe or went for lunch down the street from Seungcheol’s parlour, but Chan was being treated today, or apparently so.   
Chan liked going out. He liked to see what other people did when they were allowed to leave the house and wondered what it’d be like to have a proper job and proper friends. It was fun, to watch it was easier. Mingyu was taking him to a place across town that Chan had never seen before. A big coffee house, one with luxurious sofas and work spaces for meetings to be held in side rooms and coffee that was an extortionate price that the coffee beans must have been hand-ground, there was no other explanation. Mingyu was nice, though, he had a nice care and wore nice clothes and was nice to Chan. He held the door for him and pulled his seat out when he sat down, he even paid for his coffee, no one except Seokmin and Seungcheol had done that for him and Mingyu was practically a stranger to him.   
“I really like your coat, Hyung. I was thinking about it earlier, it suits you very well, I wish I could suit something like that, it’s pretty.” Chan gushed, fingers tracing the fabric as Mingyu made to lay it on the back of his chair. Mingyu smiled at him, watching the expression on Chan’s face transition to that of awe. Mingyu couldn’t help but stare.   
“Thank you, Channie, I got it I’m London. I’ve always wanted a proper, British Trench Coat, I think they’d suit you too. You can try mike on later but I think it might be a bit big.” Mingyu giggled, Chan nodding his agreement with a laugh. It was comfortable, slow conversation that Chan could keep up with and easy words that Chan didn’t have to think too hard about. His mind had been more scrambled than usual these days and as clever as he was, or used to be, he found things that were meant to be easy, rather difficult.   
“Hyung, did Seokmin-Hyung tell you why I go to hospital?” Chan finally asked after their conversation had dulled to a soft silence. Mingyu sobered, shaking his head as he swallowed down a sip of coffee.   
“He said that you can tell me if you want to. I don’t want you to feel obliged to tell me, though, Channie. Whatever you’re there for, it won’t change my mind about you, I like spending time with you.” Chan smiled gratefully. That did mean a lot to hear, but he didn’t know if Mingyu would still be saying that when he told him. He took a deep breath and Mingyu was reaching across the table, “You don’t have to tell me, Chan, just whenever you’re ready.” Mingyu linked their fingers with one hand and Chan momentarily recoiled, scared that someone would see them, but Mingyu was determined and also didn’t seem to care. There was another short pause before Chan began explaining.   
“I- I’m sick,” He said shortly, looking down at the table between them, Mingyu not letting go of his fingers and it felt nice, “but it’s not how most people are sick. It’s my brain that’s sick. I understand what’s wrong with me, I just don’t like talking about it a lot, but I like you, Hyung. I want you to know about it.” Chan said decisively, willing himself to meet Mingyu's eyes and when he did, he felt so much calmer. Nothing in Mingyu’s expression showed judgement.   
“Take as long as you need and if you decide you don’t want to talk about it, then that’s okay too.” Mingyu said quietly, his voice like liquid gold, Chan needed to stop finding these sort of analogies, they were distracting. Chan smiled back, running his thumb over Mingyu’s knuckles before braving himself,  
“I- I was studying theoretical physics at the time- don’t look at me like that, I really enjoy it, actually- but things didn’t really go as planned. I don’t remember a great deal, but I’ve managed to piece together a fair amount of what happened. I was on my way back from an extracurricular class when I witnessed a-a- I witnessed something bad. After becoming a witness, I was suddenly a victim, being tracked and stalked and pulled into dark alleys for weeks and weeks before I told Seokmin-Hyung. I thought I was going to- to die if I told someone about it all. After a long time, they tracked down the-the man and I was quarantined. They thought I’d gone mad, well that’s what the first doctor said, and then a new doctor came along and she was lovely. I got put in a different ward where I wasn’t quarantined and I got to speak to other people like me. They’d seen and done all sorts of other things that I didn’t know about but it was okay, we didn’t get called ‘mad’ in that ward. My medicine changed and I felt better and I talked for the first time in what Seokmin-Hyung said was 6 months but I’m not sure. I don’t really have a perception of time these days.

“I might- I might seem immature and childish, but my psychologist says it’s a coping mechanism and one of these days I’ll just return to the old me and I’ll seem different, but I’ll be happier, just like the myself again. I’m getting better, though. I take my medicine everyday and I go to all of my appointments now, I don’t even miss one. And they let me come out some time, my doctors like you, I had to tell them about you so they could let me keep seeing you, but Seokmin-Hyung reassured them that you were lovely and they pushed me to see you more often- something about bettering my mood and making me seem lighter spirited.” He paused a moment, catching his breath and looking back down at his and Mingyu’s interlocked fingers. He hadn’t pulled away and that was the lifeline Chan was holding onto, “I understand if you don’t want to see me again. It’s a strange thing to have deal with and the likelihood of us becoming anything more than romantically-platonic is near to none, but I can still try. Maybe I’ll get better and things will change, but I know that for now, even the idea of kissing someone else is terrifying. I’m fine with anything below that category, hand holding and cuddles and neck kisses, but nothing more, I’m afraid.” Chan giggles to himself at that. He was glad he could voice it, but it was strange to tell Mingyu it so directly. They were silent for a moment and Chan was scared that Mingyu was angry, his heart dropping when Mingyu pulled his hand away from him. He thought he was going to cry until he felt two strong arms pulling him into soft fabric, a sturdy chest cushioning his head and he suddenly realised that Mingyu was the one. Mingyu was the person he’d wished for, prayed for, begged for. Mingyu was the person he’d asked to come and save him on those late evenings he couldn’t sleep. Mingyu was the person he’d begged for, to hold him when he cried so hard that his chest felt like it might cave in. And Chan realised now that his wish had been granted. Someone had finally answered his prayers, granted his wishes, someone had sent him a beautiful boy in a London-made-Trench-coat and an expensive taste in coffee and Chan was so lucky. 

Jisoo was asleep on the couch, for maybe the 3rd time that week, when Wonwoo unlocked his apartment door. He’d always found it funny how little energy Jisoo had when he barely did anything anyway, maybe it was all just down to sex.   
“Baby? Are you awake? I bought us dinner.” Wonwoo called, kicking the door shut behind him as entered the living room with a bag of Tteokbokki. Wonwoo loved Jisoo’s apartment, it suited him perfectly. It was messy and relatively open-plan, meaning Jisoo’s things were scattered everywhere. His parents had rented it for him, fully furnished for when he moved in, all blacks and whites and light greys, too modern for Jisoo’s style, but his possessions seemed to make it more homely. There was always at least five dirty dishes in the sink, a damp towel hanging on the back of a barstool and a pile of clothes that Jisoo wasn’t sure even belonged to him at this point. Not to mention, there seemed to be a great deal of textbooks, pens and scraps of notes from business classes that Wonwoo was almost certain came from Jeonghan.   
“Hmf- I’m up- I’m up, Woo-ah!” Jisoo yelped as Wonwoo began peeling his blanket off, exposing him to the cold and making him wriggle uncomfortably. Wonwoo scoffed, sliding a stack of papers to the side of the kitchen counter, his eyes catching on a handwritten scrap of paper, riddled with mistakes and scribbles. Curiosity took the best of him, peaking over the stack of textbooks to see Jisoo still curled up on the couch, his blanket pulled up to his eyes, breathing steady again.  
“Come on, Jisoo, it’s going to get cold.” He said half-heartedly, trying to keep up the charade as he slid the paper out from beneath a copy of Business Degree Success with a post-it note to be returned over a week ago. Initially, it made it seem as though he had tried to draw a table of ‘Pros and Cons’, one side a lot more detailed than the other. Wonwoo wanted to laugh at the context though, down the left side, there were maybe thirty tally lines- some scribbled notes and disclaimers that seemed to be understandable only if you were Jisoo- and the right side had one tally line, one name and a short sentence. He read once, twice, thrice, before looking up to see if Jisoo was still on the couch- just as suspected, he was laying back, scrolling through his twitter feed for now. Wonwoo looked back down at the paper, inspecting the left side again: definitely not, I don’t want to think about it, this was a drunken mistake, the sex was good but that was all, I should stop getting drunk, this is pathetic… Wonwoo frowned again, he couldn’t work it out. The sentences had a vague similarity, but the one thing he thought it could possibly be, didn’t seem a very ‘Jisoo’ thing to do. The second side was something less believable, something he didn’t want to admit or maybe he did: the one reason I want to stay alive- my baby sloth, my first and last.  
“Jisoo?” Wonwoo stepped forward, the paper still in his hands as he got his attention, pulling his gaze from his news feed.  
“Hm?” He hummed, looking up, eyes catching on the paper with a frown. He didn’t remember, maybe it wasn’t his, maybe someone else wrote it, maybe it was-  
“What’s this?” Wonwoo handed him the paper, sliding down onto the couch to sit beside him. Jisoo took the paper into his hands, freezing up as he realised what it was, he remembered now. He did write it. They were silent for a few minutes before Jisoo found the words that might explain the premise of what the paper meant.  
“I- I was really drunk the other night-” He giggled, but Wonwoo wasn’t buying it, he’d been with Jisoo practically everyday this week and the day he hadn’t, he’d been with Jihoon and they’d gone to get coffee, which- if he wasn’t mistaken- didn’t contain anything stronger than caffeine.  
“You were drunk? When?” Wonwoo pressed, knowing it was grating on Jisoo’s nerves, but Wonwoo was desperate now, he had to know.  
“I- I went out-” Jisoo began, brain not working quick enough to make up something believable, but Wonwoo had already seen through his paper-thin lie.  
“Tell me the truth, Jisoo, you don’t have to lie to me.” Wonwoo replied softly, pulling Jisoo into his chest now, letting him relax back into him as they curled up on the couch. Jisoo was quiet, eyes still trained on the paper before he placed it down on his chest in defeat. He sighed,  
“You the only good person I’ve been with.” He paused shortly, “That’s it, it’s not really a secret or anything, you already knew that.” Wonwoo was carding his fingers through his hair now, soothing and soft and Jisoo just wanted to go back to sleep, his head on Wonwoo’s chest and his fingers tracing his abdomen under his shirt.   
“But what about the first part, ‘The one reason you want to stay alive’? What do you mean by that, Jisoo?” Wonwoo said tentatively, pressing a kiss to Jisoo’s forehead when he pushed his hair back too far. Jisoo was silent again and Wonwoo was just about willing to let the subject be dropped until Jisoo sniffed on a silent sob. He’d made Jisoo cry, shit, shit, shit, Jeonghan is going to kill me-  
“I wanted to die. I always sort of have, that’s why I ruined myself like this. The only thing that made me feel something was- was sex, it’s awful, I know, but that’s how it was. It was like the only thing I’d stay alive for and it wasn’t healthy, but- but I’m scared, Woo-ah, because now I have you and I want to stay alive for you. I never even wanted to stay alive for my parents, let alone someone outside my family. It’s been so long that I don’t remember what it felt like to want to be alive, but now I do. I want to live.” Jisoo was whimpering quietly, trying to stop himself from crying, but Wonwoo was making it difficult for him, with his soft voice and calm hushes as he rhythmically ran his hands over his arms. It was very hard not to cry, especially when Wonwoo began wiping at his own eyes, swallowing roughly in order of stopping his sobs from surfacing. Maybe Jeonghan would only murder him a little, cut a limb off or something.  
“You want to stay alive f-for me?” Wonwoo asked weakly, his voice barely audible, but Jisoo was tracing circles into his skin and turning his head to press soft, chaste kisses to his chest, “You wanted to stick around because of me? You mean that?” He reiterated, a little unbelieving as he thought it through. Jisoo wiped the back of his hand over his face, blinking rapidly and pushing himself up to look at Wonwoo properly.  
“Why do you sound so shocked? Of course I mean it.” Jisoo smiled softly, reaching his hand up, brushing Wonwoo’s tears away with his thumb, but Wonwoo had his hand captured in his now, pulling him down into a kiss as he interlocked their fingers. It tool the breathe out of him for a moment and Wonwoo let him pull back to steady himself again, kissing his neck whilst he waited in silence, tears dancing between their tongues as they continued. It was a long time before Jisoo finally pulled away, settling his head back down on Wonwoo’s chest before either of them broke the silence.  
“Will you tell me if I ever become something you don’t feel like living for anymore? I won’t mind, I just want you to have something you will want to stay alive for. Even if it’s not me, Joshua, I want it to be something, okay?” Wonwoo spoke finally and Jisoo was nodding against his chest, curling his fingers into his shirt as if he might slip away.  
“I don’t think it’ll change, I think it’ll always be you, Woo-ah.” Jisoo said softly, “But I’ll tell you if it changes.” He added and Wonwoo was almost sighing in relief. The paper was long forgotten and Jisoo couldn’t bring himself to care anymore, because all he needed was right here, right under his fingertips. He needed nothing more.

It was months later when Jeonghan found himself in Seungcheol’s arms, on a Saturday morning in the middle of Autumn. He’d moved in a month prior, telling Seungkwan and Hansol to call him the minute they needed him or something went wrong, he really missed them sometimes.  
These days, Jeonghan wondered how he’d gotten so lucky to find Seungcheol again, to have their paths cross again and to fall in love with him. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about the bad times as well, the hardships they’d been through to get them to this point, but he really was far too lucky to have Seungcheol love him as much as he did.  
Seungcheol smiled more, Wonwoo had been the first to pick up o it and he’d shoved his shoulder playfully, denying the fact. Jeonghan was there when he came home from work, dancing pathetically in the kitchen as he made them dinner, or napping on the couch as Netflix kept up the episodes he was watching of some reality show. It was so entrancing, Jeonghan simply existing was enough.  
Seungkwan had started working harder, Hansol had noticed it and tried to get him to take breaks, but in reality Hansol loved to massage Seungkwan’s shoulders, leaving lazy kisses along his spine and across the small of his back. It was those moments that Seungkwan knew he was going to marry Hansol. It no longer scared him as much as it used to.  
And Hansol, well, Hansol wasn’t taking chances. He’d walk Seungkwan home on days he was working or studying late at the library, not wanting Seungkwan to get hurt how he’d gotten hurt. It was ironic, really, that Hansol was the one who was harmed, but still put himself in danger for Seungkwan’s safety. Nowadays, Hansol just liked to look at him, spend time with him, know he was there and that he was his.  
When Soonyoung worked late, Jihoon formed a habit of storming down to the Hospital to demand him to leave. Soonyoung was too kind and too hardworking and Jihoon was not getting nearly enough dick for this sort of behaviour. Infact, he’d given Soonyoung’s lecturer a piece of his mind a month into the endeavour when Soonyoung had come home in tears of exhaustion after a 36 hour shift. Soonyoung really did love him.  
Once Jihoon overcame his insecurities, he knew that Soonyoung loved him and he was learning that it was okay to show that, to prove that. Finally, Jihoon did utter those words first, but only because Soonyoung practically tricked him into it. It was the first time Jihoon hadn’t snapped at him or punched him in the stomach for tricking him into doing something he didn’t want to, because deep down, he did want to say it. It was easier now that Soonyoung was with him.  
Seokmin was doing better as well. Chan was taking up less of his time, trading Mingyu in to collect him from appointments or spend time at his apartment until Seokmin practically had to drag him home. Seokmin was happy, though, he got to spend more time with his girlfriend, solidifying their relationship had been difficult when he had to keep running back to Chan. They’d moved in together now and Chan seemed happier now that the people around him were happier.   
And Chan really was doing better. He’d wake up with his head on Mingyu’s chest and he’d feel so safe, so warm and wanted and Mingyu wasn’t afraid to hold him anymore. He still took his medicine and saw his psychiatrists, but he wasn’t nearly as bad as he once was, even his therapists said it. He knew how well he was doing and as scared as he was to lose that, he felt so good that he so much as even got to experience it.   
In recent days, Mingyu was spending all his free time with Chan, running his hands through his hair or letting Chan teach him how to make something delicious for dinner. He’d spoken to Ava, no, he’d told Ava exactly where she could go and Chan had held him for hours afterwards, helped him delete all of their photos together and throw out the clothes she’d left at his apartment. Mingyu felt that he might be punching above his weight with Chan. He’d never had someone who cared for him in return and that took some getting used to, for sure.   
Jisoo had even turned the impossible into something almost bearable, with Wonwoo’s help of course. Jisoo now held a proud attendance of 47 percent, which was 45 percent higher than what he’d previously been attending. Wonwoo would take him to class and kiss his forehead and help him study late into the evening until his eyes drew together and he fell asleep on the couch in the living room, Wonwoo carrying him to bed in gentle arms. Jisoo really was happy that he’d stayed around for this very reason- Wonwoo.  
And Wonwoo felt the same. He knew that so many things weren’t perfect and he knew that meant he needed to find joy in the little things that were once in a while. Jisoo almost always made it to the top of that list, holding his hand or kissing his forehead or thrusting slowly into him on a lazy Sunday morning. He could swear that he’d never met someone like Jisoo and he could also swear that he’d never want anyone other than Jisoo. It really was too good to be true, sometimes, especially when Jisoo gave blowjobs like he did.  
That was also something Jun had a speciality in, but was yet to show Minghao. Their relationship was steady and beautiful and delicate and so precious to Jun that the lack of sex didn’t bother him nearly as much as he originally thought it might. Minghao’s smile was worth every long night and early morning that his studies pulled from him and Jun couldn’t be more grateful for the short kisses pressed his lips as Minghao pushed out the door with a bagel between his teeth. Jun was willing to wait for anything more intimate than handjobs on a Friday evening and Minghao was willing to compromise once in a while.  
And then there was Minghao, little Minghao who couldn’t quite find himself in this world and Jun was too perfect, making all the time in the world for him, even if he’d worked more hours than Minghao had been awake for accumulatively. Jun would often bring flowers home to him on his way back from work or lectures and Minghao would smile so widely, kiss him until he ran out of breath and then smile some more, staring up at him for what could have been hours, but was merely minutes. Since Minghao had spoken about his lack of experience, things seemed easier to talk about, Minghao learnt to ask for what he wanted and thought he might like and that helped Jun out a lot.

No one really acknowledged the time Seungcheol knocked at death’s door and that Jeonghan was drugged in a hospital bed by a nurse. Some things were easier left unspoken and everyone knew that Seungcheol and Jeonghan had experienced enough torment to suffice a few centuries and no one was willing to mess with the foundations of their supposed stability. It was an silent agreement to not bring it up and for once Jeonghan realised that he really was lucky to have friends who honoured that agreement. The only sign that it’d even happened was the scar on Seungcheol’s shoulder and the thinner one on Hansol’s abdomen. These days, Jeonghan would meet Seungcheol at the parlour after his lectures. He’d asked Wonwoo to ink his shoulder blade with one of Seungcheol’s sketches to surprise him, the image of two betta fish, one blue and one orange. Jeonghan had found the same scrap of paper with the original drawing Seungcheol had done, but he wanted to alter it slightly. Wonwoo made it seem like one betta was chasing the other, the perfect harmony- yin and yang. It was beautiful and Jeonghan almost wished he’d had it inked somewhere he could see more often, but he knew Seungcheol would like it and that’s all that mattered. 

Needless to say, Seungcheol cried like a baby when he found it. Jeonghan laughed at him for a good twenty minutes before Seungcheol pulled him in for a kiss to silence him.


End file.
